Natural Protection against ills of Radiation - Study

Antioxidants in grains, legumes offer radiation protection: study

Two powerful antioxidants that occur naturally in legumes and bran may protect against cellular damage caused by radiation, new research suggests.

Inositol, found in rice, wheat, rye and soybean seeds and IP6, found in wheat bran, whole grains and legumes, offered protection against the sun's ultraviolet B radiation in tests on mice that had been genetically engineered to be predisposed to skin cancer.

The findings were presented Monday at the American Association for Cancer Research Centennial Conference on Translational Cancer Medicine in Singapore.

Researchers at the Maryland School of Medicine exposed mice to UVB radiation three times a week. In mice that drank water laced with a two per cent solution of IP6, 23 per cent developed tumours. But in the group that was irradiated but not given any antioxidants, the incidence of tumours was 54 per cent.

In studies in which IP6 and inositol were mixed with a skin cream and applied externally to the mice before they were exposed to radiation, the antioxidants also offered some protection. In the mice that were given the skin cream, 62 per cent developed tumours at 31 weeks while 76 per cent of the untreated mice developed tumours.

The researchers believe that the antioxidants repaired damaged DNA in the irradiated cells.

IP6 certainly has some interactivity with DNA, but how exactly it works to repair DNA is still something of a mystery," said Abulkalam Shamsuddin, professor of pathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in a release.

People are exposed to UVB radiation through sunlight and when receiving medical treatment, such as radiation therapy for cancer. As well, pilots and airline staff are routinely exposed to radiation when flying aircraft. "Radiation, particularly ionizing radiation, has cytotoxic effects on cells and tissues," reads the report.

The researchers say that chronic exposure to UVB radiation can lead to cell death and increase a person's risk of developing cancer. But they believe that inositol and IP6 can be protective in these circumstances.

"It is possible that people regularly exposed to ionizing radiation, such as airline pilots, frequent fliers or people who handle radioactive materials, might take IP6 prophylactically to prevent possible long-term effects of exposure," Shamsuddin said.

He believes that in the future IP6 or inositol could even be used to protect people against nuclear accidents or a "dirty bomb" in which huge amounts of radiation could be released into the surrounding environment.

Source: CBC.ca