Concerns about the safety of certain 'healthful' plant-based antioxidants

Their recommendation follows a study in which two such antioxidants — quercetin and ferulic acid — appeared to aggravate kidney cancer in severely diabetic laboratory rats. The study appears in ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Kuan-Chou Chen, Robert Peng, and colleagues note that vegetables, fruits, and other plant-based foods are rich in antioxidants that appear to fight cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other disorders. Among those antioxidants is quercetin, especially abundant in onions and black tea, and ferulic acid, found in corn, tomatoes, and rice bran.

Both also are ingredients in certain herbal remedies and dietary supplements. But questions remain about the safety and effectiveness of some antioxidants, with research suggesting that quercetin could contribute to the development of cancer, the scientists note.

They found that diabetic laboratory rats fed either quercetin or ferulic acid developed more advanced forms of kidney cancer, and concluded the two antioxidants appear to aggravate or possibly cause kidney cancer. “Some researchers believe that quercetin should not be used by healthy people for prevention until it can be shown that quercetin does not itself cause cancer,” the report states. “In this study we report that quercetin aggravated, at least, if not directly caused, kidney cancer in rats,” it adds, suggesting that health agencies like the U. S. Food and Drug Administration should reevaluate the safety of plant-based antioxidants.

ARTICLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Quercetin and Ferulic Acid Aggravate Renal Carcinoma in Long-Term Diabetic Victims”
DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE
http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/jf101580j
CONTACT:
Kuan-Chou Chen, Ph.D.
Taipei Medical University Shuan-Ho Hospital
Taipei, Taiwan
Phone: 886-2-27299723
Email: kc.chen416@msa.hinet.net
or
Robert Peng, Ph.D.
Hungkuang University
Taichung Hsien, Taiwan 43302
Phone: 886-2-27585767
Cell: 886-953-002-092
Email: ypeng@seed.net.tw