I'm about to start RT on a hand, and a nurse advised me to avoid consuming antioxidants for a few weeks. She said that while there have been no studies to prove it, there is a theory that some of the beneficial effect of RT arises from the generation of oxidants. This theory suggests that one should avoid supplementing the diet with antioxidants. I've read something about this in a nutrition article http://jn.nutrition.org/content/134/11/3207S.full

What I'm not sure about is how long to avoid antioxidants. The nurse suggested avoiding antioxidants for SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER RT. I'm a bit skeptical about that. The article that I linked above suggests that the radiation-induced antioxidants have a lifetime of LESS THAN A SECOND -- so it seems to me that one should just avoid consuming antioxidants before RT so that it's not present in the body during RT, but one could consume them without problem immediately after RT is finished.

I'm wondering what others have been told.

Edited 02/05/13 22:16

I was told nothing about avoiding antioxidants. If avoiding antioxidants ever is a factor in getting RT, I'm wondering if maybe it would be for radiation for an aggressive form of cancer.

You might want to talk with the doctor/radiologist about this.

Edited 02/06/13 22:17

No me neither