A new study suggests that taking a 4p vitamin C supplement after meals could help lower the risk of cancer. According to research published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, vitamin C may limit the development of certain cancer-causing compounds found in some foods.
Study Focuses on Nitrates and Nitrites
The study used mathematical modelling to explore how vitamin C influences chemical reactions in the digestive tract associated with cancer development. These reactions are triggered by nitrates and nitrites, compounds present in cured meats as well as fruit and vegetables grown in contaminated soil and water. While nitrates and nitrites play essential roles in neurological and cardiovascular health, within the stomach they can undergo a process called nitrosation, creating chemicals that many scientists believe may elevate cancer risk.
First author Dr Gordon McNicol from the University of Waterloo in Canada stated: "Since at least the 90s, researchers have been studying the link between cancer and these compounds, with conflicting results. Our work suggests that the presence of dietary vitamin C may help explain these inconsistencies."
Mathematical Model Simulates Digestive Processes
The research team constructed a mathematical model of the salivary glands, stomach, small intestine, and plasma, simulating how nitrites and nitrates travel through the body and transform over time. Their model showed that when vitamin C is simultaneously present in food, such as leafy greens like spinach which contain both vitamin C and nitrate, it could reduce cancer risk. The research also indicated that consuming vitamin C supplements after each meal might have a moderately beneficial impact in limiting the development of nitrosation compounds linked to cancer risk from dietary nitrites and nitrates, including those in products like bacon and salami.
Implications for Future Studies
The research team hopes these discoveries will inform future nutritional studies. Study author Dr Anita Layton commented: "This work provides a mechanistic roadmap for future clinical and laboratory studies by identifying the key interacting drivers of these potentially harmful chemical reactions, including nitrite exposure, antioxidant intake, meal timing, gastric conditions, and oral microbiome activity. This model can help researchers design more targeted experiments and interventions, focusing on when and in whom nitrosation is most likely to occur."
Benefits of Vitamin C
The NHS states that vitamin C has several important functions, including helping to protect cells and keep them healthy, maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels, bones, and cartilage, and aiding wound healing. A lack of vitamin C can lead to scurvy. Vitamin C is found in a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, such as citrus fruits, peppers, strawberries, blackcurrants, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and potatoes.
At the time of reporting, Tesco was selling a packet of 120 vitamin C supplements for £4.75, which works out as 4p per tablet.
