Vitamin C can prove effective in the fight for cancer prevention, but apples may be better, according to scientists from Cornell University and Seoul National University.


In a report published in the Lancet medical journal (vol 359, no 9301), Professor C.Y. Lee, a Cornell expert on food science and technology, and his South Korean colleagues, Ki Won Lee, Hyong Joo Lee and Kyung-Sun Kang, explain that vitamin C’s anti-cancer activity is effective because it blocks the carcinogenic effects of hydrogen peroxide on intercellular communication.


Lee comments: “Vitamin C has been considered one of the most important essential nutrients in our diet since the discovery in 1907 that it prevents scurvy.”


Explaining that gap-junction intercellular communication (GJIC) is essential to maintain normal cell growth and strongly related to the carcinogenic process, he adds that vitamin C also “prevents the inhibition of GJIC induced by hydrogen peroxide”.


The report also says, however, that quercetin, a natural phytochemical found in apples, works even better than vitamin C in terms of its anticancer activity.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Lee concludes, “a diet rich in phytochemicals and vitamin C will reduce the risk of cancer”.