Another Billion-dollar Industry that Sells the Illusion of Better Health
The untold stories from clinical trials of antioxidant supplements in cancer prevention
If you asked within the biomedical research community whether it was a good idea to start taking antioxidant supplements, you would almost certainly be advised to proceed with caution. For several decades, researchers have acknowledged that a diet lacking in antioxidants is associated with higher rates of chronic disease. Many of us, however, are unaware that the supplements industry has been feeding off our fear of cancer, perpetuating the idea that their antioxidant products can provide us with protective effects. While there is evidence to support a protective role of higher dietary antioxidant levels when they are derived from whole foods, it has been largely assumed that the same benefits are obtained by supplementing your diet with antioxidants. What’s left is a deeply-rooted myth that antioxidant supplements are scientifically proven to fight cancer.
According to Allied Market Research, the antioxidant market was valued at around 2.9 billion dollars in 2015 and is expected to surpass 4.5 billion dollars by 2022. Now, if there were no risks associated with taking antioxidant supplements, you could argue that we should all take them ‘just in case.’…
