This article discusses the antioxidants that protect against ionizing radiation from medical imaging and atomic explosions.
On January 24, 2023, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock to ninety seconds to midnight. The stroke of midnight is the start of a global nuclear conflagration.
The ninety seconds is the closest to the nuclear catastrophe ever. Previously, it was set at 100 seconds to midnight in 2020.
Effects of Nuclear Explosion
Contrary to what some say, a nuclear exchange can be survivable depending on the distance from an atomic blast and the presence of shielding.
A typical scenario will be a limited nuclear exchange first that targets military installations. The hope is that one side will negotiate after that.
If cooler heads don’t prevail, the next is a full-scale nuclear war with atomic weapons landing on several countries. All are viable targets now aside from the military. So, economic, industrial, communications, power supply, and civilians will be targeted.
There will be time to hide underground between the limited and full scale. The thick barrier will shield against the destructive effects of the nuclear explosion. It will also be a perfect time to take antioxidants.
Effects of a Nuclear Blast
The Atomic Archive states that the energy released from nuclear explosions can be divided into four categories.
- 50% – blast energy
- 30–50% – thermal radiation
- 5% – ionizing radiation (more in a neutron bomb)
- 5–10% – residual radiation
The first two kill instantly, and the last two produce a slow and agonizing death.
Radioactive Fallout
The Radiation Emergency Medical Management says this about radioactive fallout.
- Contamination with radioactive fallout is NOT immediately life-threatening to the population or the responders who assist them.
- The primary radiation hazard from fallout after a nuclear detonation arises from external exposure to penetrating radiation released from the decaying radioactive particles rather than internal contamination (exposure) from breathing or ingesting radioactive material.
- External radiation exposure from fallout represents the greatest preventable injury after a nuclear detonation.
Ionizing Radiation
Ionizing radiation is a form of energy that acts by removing electrons from atoms and molecules of materials that include air, water, and living tissue.
Ionizing radiation can travel unseen and pass through these materials.
Ionizing radiation damages cells and DNA, resulting in cell death and DNA mutations.
Ionizing radiation prevents the formation of new cells that typically replace old cells. Organs with surfaces like the skin, intestines, and blood vessels have rapid cell turnover, so they will be the first to be affected.
This is why nausea, vomiting, internal and external bleeding, and skin sores are the common symptoms of acute radiation poisoning.
The loss of the protective barrier in the intestines leads to the passage of bacteria into the abdomen, and severe infections result.
Blood cells are also affected and are wiped out by the radiation, resulting in anemia, bleeding, sepsis, and death from common infections. Lots of cancers will happen.
In a normal situation, there are mechanisms that repair damaged DNA, like p53, BRCA1, and BRCA2. Ionizing radiation, like the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins, affects the body’s DNA repair mechanisms, leading to mutations and cancer formation.
The ionizing radiation spectrum includes medical imaging X-rays and gamma radiation.
The studies below were made to provide information to cancer patients who undergo repeated CT scans and X-rays and receive a lot of ionizing radiation.
Antioxidants for Ionizing Radiation
I list the following antioxidants shown to prevent the effects of ionizing radiation.
I only included studies about readily available antioxidants. All of the information is from the exhaustive review of Smith et al.[1] I highlighted and linked some of the researchers.
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1. N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
NAC was shown to protect lymphocytes against radiation by decreasing DNA damage. However, it does not prevent apoptosis or the purposeful death of pre-cancerous or cancerous cells.
This means that NAC prevents the death of normal cells and allows therapeutic radiation to destroy cancer cells.
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2. Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
Brand et al. found that vitamin C prevents radiation-induced double-stranded DNA breaks by binding with free radicals.
3. Carvacrol
Carvacrol is found in oregano oil. Arivalagan et al. discovered that lymphocytes treated with carvacrol could tolerate higher amounts of radiation and significantly decreased DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, and apoptosis.
Carvacrol decreases free radical damage as an antioxidant and a free radical scavenger.
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4. Hot Pepper
Hot pepper, Capsicum annuum L, contains several phenolic glycosides. A study by Materska et al. found several substances that have a radioprotective effect on irradiated lymphocytes.
Additionally, the glycosides have mopped up free radicals and reduced their damage.
5. Cinnamic Acid
Cinnamic acid is derived from cinnamon oil and has antioxidant properties. Lymphocytes treated with cinnamic oil have less DNA damage from X-rays.
6. Curcumin
Curcumin is from turmeric. Soltani et al. found that pretreatment of lymphocytes with low concentrations of free curcumin protected irradiated cells via enhanced antioxidant effects. However, low concentrations of DNC lead to decreased cell viability and survival.
Curcumin is believed to be an antioxidant at lower concentrations and a prooxidant at higher concentrations.
Curcumin has to be in a lipid vehicle to increase its absorption. This is not a problem when used in cooking since there is oil.
In a study by Nguyen et al., liposomal encapsulation has higher absorption.
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7. Green Tea
Davari et al. studied volunteers who drank green tea for five consecutive days before blood draws. Blood samples were then exposed to gamma radiation.
The lymphocytes collected 3 hours after drinking green tea showed a significant decrease in DNA damage compared to controls.
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCg) is a natural antioxidant from green tea. Monzen et al. found that adding ECGC before irradiation significantly improved the survival of red blood cell progenitors but not white blood cell precursors.
According to Monzen et al., Drinking green tea may be more cost-effective than getting the more expensive injections to increase red blood cells after radiation treatment.
8. Ferulic acid
Ferulic acid is part of plant cell walls. They are found in high concentrations in popcorn, bamboo shoots, bran, flaxseed, and barley.
Prasad et al. found that pretreatment of ferulic acid on cultured lymphocytes reduced DNA damage, and higher concentrations provided more protective effects.
9. Mango
Rodeiro et al. found that lymphocytes incubated with varying concentrations of Mangifera indica L. extract (mango) before exposure to gamma radiation reduced DNA damage.
10. Resveratrol
Carsten et al. studied mice given resveratrol before and for 30 days following the whole-body dose of 3 Gy gamma radiation irradiation.
They found that mice treated with resveratrol before radiation exposure significantly decreased the total number of chromosome aberrations at 30 days post-radiation compared to controls.
Zhang et al. also studied resveratrol in mice. The mice were pretreated with resveratrol five days before and one day after a single dose of partial-body (abdominal) irradiation.
Six days after irradiation, the intestines were examined, and they found that the resveratrol-treated mice had reduced intestinal damage.
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11. Lactoferrin
Lactoferrin is found in human and cow’s milk and is also available as a supplement. Nishimura et al. found that mice fed a diet high in lactoferrin and exposed to radiation had a higher 30-day survival rate.
In another experiment, Nishimura et al. injected mice with 4 mg of lactoferrin. The lactoferrin-treated group had a survival rate of 92% after 30 days, significantly higher than the saline-treated group, which was 50% after 30 days.
12. Combination
Wan et al. exposed human breast epithelial cells to a combination of NAC, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, l-selenomethionine, and vitamin E.
Then, the breast cells were exposed to the substances individually.
They found that combining several antioxidants produced the most profound reduction in DNA damage (94.7% reduction against X-ray radiation and 100% reduction against gamma-ray radiation) compared to the individual.
They also found that water-soluble antioxidants like NAC, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, and α-lipoic acid were the most effective at reducing DNA damage.
Conclusion
In their review article, Smith et al. recommended natural foods rich in natural antioxidants to prevent radiation damage from medical imaging. I agree. Make it a point to eat them every day.
X-rays and gamma radiation are both ionizing radiation. Among all the substances listed, I like the NAC best because it has other uses, plus it is generally safe and has a long track record of safety.
Bicheru et al. compared four antioxidants: β-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, and NAC. They preincubated human blood with the four antioxidants and then exposed them to radiation.
The most significant reduction in DNA damage was found with the NAC, followed by vitamin C, vitamin E, and β-carotene.[2]
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Related:
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- Study: SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins Impaired DNA Repair That Can Lead to Defective Immunity and Cancers
References:
- Smith TA, Kirkpatrick DR, Smith S, Smith TK, Pearson T, Kailasam A, Herrmann KZ, Schubert J, Agrawal DK. Radioprotective agents to prevent cellular damage due to ionizing radiation. J Transl Med. 2017 Nov 9;15(1):232. doi: 10.1186/s12967-017-1338-x. PMID: 29121966; PMCID: PMC5680756.
- Bicheru NS, Haidoiu C, Călborean O, Popa A, Porosnicu I, Hertzog R. Effect of Different Antioxidants on X-ray Induced DNA Double-strand Breaks Using γ-H2AX in Human Blood Lymphocytes. Health Phys. 2020 Jul;119(1):101-108. doi: 10.1097/HP.0000000000001267. PMID: 32483045. .
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