Vitamin C as Protection Against Radiation Exposure

e nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan, in March 2011 led to drastic mechanistic measures (e.g., evacuation, decontamination showers of clothing, and use of protective clothing by rescue workers) to protect the population against imminent and future radiation exposure. Besides mechanistic measures, no orthomolecular protection measures other than iodine supplementation were taken, although scientists from Japan’s Ministry of Defense had demonstrated that oral vitamin C in mice protects against radiation injury. !is article highlights the opinions of Dr. Atsuo Yanagisawa that were presented at the 40th Orthomolecular Medicine Today Conference in Toronto (April 29, 2011) to support the use of oral and/or intravenous vitamin C (ascorbic acid), as well as other antioxidants, as internal protectants against radiation exposure. Introduction On March 11, 2011, there was an earthquake and a tsunami with devastating consequences in Japan. It led to a serious nuclear accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP) with the release of a substantial amount of radiation. Of primary concern was the protection against radioactive contamination of the population, of the rescue workers, and of the persons trying to control the nuclear disaster in locales and in areas surrounding the NPP. !e mechanistic measures taken by the authorities included evacuation of the population, decontamination showers of clothing, and the use of protective clothing for workers at the NPP. All of these measures are aimed to minimize contamination. Except for potassium iodide tablets that protect the thyroid gland against radioactive isotopes of iodine (i.e., iodine-131), there has been little implementation of orthomolecular protection methods by the Japanese authorities. !is article highlights the opinions of Dr. Atsuo Yanagisawa that were presented at the 40th Orthomolecular Medicine Today Conference in Toronto, April 29, 2011, to support the use of oral and/or intravenous vitamin C (ascorbic acid), as well as other antioxidants, as internal protectants against radiation exposure. The Published Evidence Studies with vitamin C, financed partially by the Japanese Ministry of Defense under the Special Research Program, demonstrate that vitamin C can limit the adverse effects of radiation exposure in mice.1 In the main part of the study (Figure 1, p.142), mice were pretreated with 150 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C per kilogram (kg) of body weight daily for three days, and were then exposed to 14 Gy of whole body radiation followed by bone marrow transplant (BMT) at 24 hours post-radiation. (Gy represents the SI unit of absorbed radiation dose of ionizing radiation and is defined as the absorption of one joule of ionizing radiaSchuitemaker.indd 141 8/23/11 1:48:52 PM Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine Vol 26, No 3, 2011 142 tion by one kg of matter). !ere was a 42% survival in the mice pretreated with vitamin C prior to radiation compared to no survival if only provided with vitamin C post-radiation. Of note, when mice were pretreated with vitamin C, but not given BMT, none survived. !e best results were obtained when vitamin C was given before radiation exposure and was then combined with BMT. !e results of this animal study suggest that patients and rescue workers should consider supplementing with vitamin C since accidental exposures to a lethal dose of radiation might be mitigated when combined with bone marrow or stem cell transplants. Vitamin C can significantly decrease deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage in the cells of the intestinal crypt, preventing damage to the intestinal mucosa. Radiation in the small intestine leads to the expression of genes involved in cell death (apoptosis), which is reduced by supplemental vitamin C. !e Japanese government became involved in this research due to a nuclear accident in 1999. Persons exposed to high doses of radiation developed severe bone marrow aplasia and required stem cell transplantation. !ese persons developed severe intestinal damage with diarrhea and bleeding, and subsequently died from multiple organ failure despite intensive supportive therapy. !is severe gastrointestinal condition resulting from high doses of radiation is known as fatal gastrointestinal syndrome (GIS). It is also an unfortunate complication of abdominal radiation therapy in cancer patients. !ere are currently no effective therapies against GIS due to extensive radiation exposure. Vitamin C might help to prevent or limit severe gastrointestinal damage, thereby preventing fatal GIS. Unfortunately, the rescue team members of the National Self-Defense Force did not get intravenous vitamin C or even vitamin C supplements when they were in the Fukushima Nuclear Plant.2 Figure 1. The effect of treatment with ascorbic acid on mouse survival after radiation. The mice were irradiated at 14 Gy and received BMT 24 h after radiation. They received ascorbic acid p.o. for 3 days either before or after radiation, or received distilled water only before radiation. The mice pretreated with ascorbic acid were also irradiated at 14 Gy without BMT. N = 12 in each group, *P < 0.01 vs other groups (used with permission).