Vitamin C May Help Reduce Chemotherapy Side Effects

A study in rats suggests that taking vitamin C can help counteract muscle atrophy, one of the most common side effects derivatives of doxorubicinthe drug used for chemotherapy. This finding represents an opportunity to reduce the debilitating effect of the drug, although it needs to be tested in randomized clinical trials to determine its safety and efficacy in human patients.

“Our results suggest that vitamin C can serve as complementary therapy to aid in the treatment of peripheral muscle disorders after treatment with doxorubicin, thereby improving functional capacity and quality of life and reducing mortality”, said Antonio Viana do Nascimento Filho, author of the study and member of the Nove de Julho University in Brazil.

Doxorubicin is an anthracycline chemotherapy drug that is often used along with other chemotherapies to treat breast cancer, bladder cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, and other types of cancer. Although it is a powerful anticancer drug, doxorubicin can cause serious heart problems and muscle atrophy, with long-lasting impacts on fitness and quality of life for patients who survive the disease.

It is a natural antioxidant

It is believed that these side effects are the result of excessive production of free radicals in the body. Therefore, vitamin C helps reduce oxidative stress, being a natural antioxidant. In any case, this vitamin could interfere with the effects of chemotherapy, so it is not recommended that patients take vitamin C supplements during treatment unless directed by their doctor.

This study evaluated whether vitamin C could help prevent the adverse effects of doxorubicin on skeletal muscle. The researchers compared skeletal muscle mass and markers of oxidative stress in four groups of rats. One group received vitamin C and doxorubicin, a second group received only vitamin C, a third group received only doxorubicin, and a fourth group received neither. Mice given vitamin C along with doxorubicin showed evidence of reduced oxidative stress and better muscle mass compared to mice that received doxorubicin but no vitamin C.

Doxorubicin causes muscle atrophy and vitamin C can reverse this side effect

“Our work showed that treatment with vitamin C can mitigate the loss of muscular mass and improve many markers of free radical imbalance in rats submitted to the administration of doxorubicin”, says Nascimento Filho.

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