THE ANTIOXIDANTS STORY CONTINUED #4

Continued from Yesterday.....

The Proof in the Research

The key to capturing the interest and awareness of doctors and pharmacists can be summed up with one word--research. And more research and then more research. In fact, antioxidants and the theory of free radical oxidation already has been the subject of a very impressive number of studies. A recent search of the National Library of Medicine's online version of Medline using the keyword "antioxidant" showed 28,391 citations of studies related to the topic of antioxidants. Other indications of the scientific interest in free radicals and antioxidants is the existence of the scientific journal Free Radical Research, and the establishment of scientific organizations such as the Oxygen Society and the International Society for Free Radical Research, which are dedicated to the knowledge and understanding of biooxidation, free radicals and antioxidants. The number of researchers, many of whom who are at renowned research universities, currently investigating the role of free radicals and antioxidant function shows that the study of antioxidants is not a passing scientific fad. It also means that extensive and serious research on the role of antioxidants will continue indefinitely.

Researchers, as well as doctors and pharmacists, commonly state that much of the research on antioxidants is important and compelling. "The research is substantial and exciting," said Michael Janson, M.D., author of The Vitamin Revolution in Healthcare and president of the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM). "Nonetheless, as with all research, it is preliminary in the sense that we know there is going to be more that enhances, modifies, contradicts what has come before. There will be some inevitable contradiction as there is an increasing number of studies. But the overwhelming weight of the evidence on antioxidants is positive."

However, many in the scientific and medical communities note that the quantity of research does not necessarily express the quality or significance of that body of research.

For example, the research on antioxidants is often characterized as preliminary and sometimes as mixed or even negative. Even when the scientific evidence is positive, many doctors and pharmacists distinguish between in vitro (tested in a test tube) vs. in vivo (tested in live organisms). In regard to in vivo human studies, definitive research on the benefits of antioxidants is scarce. "It certainly has to be said that in terms of human studies, the research is preliminary," said Varro Tyler, dean and distinguished professor emeritus at Purdue University and author of The Honest Herbal and Herbs of Choice. "But I think the results have been significant to date, so I think it is a very fruitful line of endeavor to continue."

Continued Tomorrow....

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