Treatment for a Serious Side Effect: Vitamin E Improves Radiation Damage!

[Guest guest]

Treatment for a Serious Side Effect: Vitamin E Improves Radiation Damage

 

By Kimberly Beauchamp, ND

 

Healthnotes Newswire (April 15, 2004)—Taking high-dose vitamin E may improve

brain function in people who have suffered damage as a result of radiation

treatment for a type of throat cancer, according to a study in Cancer

(2004;100:398–404).

 

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a cancer that develops in the upper part of

the throat behind the nose. Radiation therapy directed at the tumor—standard

treatment for all stages of NPC—can result in damage to, or death of, healthy

cells and tissue in the front of the brain, causing what is known as temporal

lobe radionecrosis (TLN). Seven percent of people treated with radiation for NPC

develop TLN. Damage to this area of the brain can cause difficulty with

language, memory, and movement (motor function). Currently, there is no

treatment that helps people suffering from TLN.

 

Radiation therapy generates highly reactive chemicals known as free radicals,

which are thought to partly contribute to TLN. In other research, vitamin E has

been found to protect cells from free-radical damage and to reduce cell death.

 

In the current study, 29 people with TLN caused by radiation therapy for NPC

participated. Of these, 19 were treated with 1,000 IU of vitamin E two times

each day for one year, and 10 received no supplemental vitamin E (control

group). Assessments of brain function including overall performance, verbal and

visual memory, attention, language, and the ability to carry out tasks were

performed before the study and after one year. The improvement in overall

cognitive performance, verbal and visual memory, and executive function was

significantly greater in the vitamin E-treated group compared with the control

group at the end of one year. There were no significant differences in attention

or language abilities between the two groups.

 

This study is the first to document the positive effect of vitamin E on people

with TLN. Other studies have shown vitamin E to have positive effects on brain

function. Taking vitamin E has also been found to slow the progression of

Alzheimer’s disease, and to protect elderly people from mental decline.

 

Kimberly Beauchamp, ND, received her bachelor’s degree from the University of

Rhode Island and her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University

in Kenmore, WA. Dr. Beauchamp is a co-founder and practicing physician at South

County Naturopaths, Inc. in Wakefield, RI. Her emphasis is on women’s health,

pediatrics, and detoxification.

 

2004 Healthnotes, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or

redistribution of the Healthnotes® content is expressly prohibited without the

prior written consent of Healthnotes, Inc. Healthnotes Newswire is for

educational or informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or

provide treatment for any condition. If you have any concerns about your own

health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional. Healthnotes,

Inc. shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any

actions taken in reliance thereon. Healthnotes and the Healthnotes logo are

registered trademarks of Healthnotes, Inc.

 

 

http://www.healthnotes.info/qs_db/healthnotes.cfm?page=newswire/Back_issues/news\

wire_2004_04_15_2.cfm

 

 

 

 

 

The complete " Whole Body " Health line consists of the " AIM GARDEN TRIO "

Ask About Health Professional Support Series: AIM Barleygreen

 

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/AIM.html

 

PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

We have made every effort to ensure that the information included in these pages

is accurate. However, we make no guarantees nor can we assume any responsibility

for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or

process discussed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at HotJobs