title: Antioxidant vitamins and cancer risk: is oxidative damage to DNA a relevant biomarker?
abstract: Oxidative damage to DNA is regarded as an important step in carcinogenesis. These lesions may arise as a consequence of exposure to xenobiotics, but are also generated as a consequence of endogenous generation of oxidizing compounds. Measurements of oxidative damage to guanines, such as 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydroguanine (8-oxodG) are increasingly being regarded as reliable biomarkers of oxidative stress and they may have a predictive value of cancer risk, although this needs to be established independently in several cohort studies. A survey of intervention studies of the ingestion of antioxidant-containing foods or tablets of antioxidants indicate that about one-third of the studies reported a protective effect in terms of lower levels of oxidative damage to DNA in white blood cells or decreased urinary excretion of 8-oxodG. Although firm conclusions cannot be reached, there appears to be links between ingestion of antioxidants, oxidative damage to DNA, and risk of cancer.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loft
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Møller
authors.forename: Marcus S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.forename: Rafal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rozalski
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Olinski
mesh_terms: D000080242:8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D020552:Comet Assay; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D003849:Deoxyguanosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D004032:Diet; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D012307:Risk Factors; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014815:Vitamins; D000080242:8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine; D003849:Deoxyguanosine