Subscribe now

MEGADOSES of vitamin C might lead to cancer, warn chemists.

Vitamin C helps mop up the destructive free radicals blamed for ageing. But
in large doses, it may have the opposite effect by breaking down natural fatty
acids in the body into potentially damaging compounds, researchers at the
University of Pennsylvania reported recently.

Now Peter Cragg, Karl Pavey and their colleagues at the University of
Brighton have set out to discover if these breakdown products really do harm
DNA. They bound strands of human DNA to a gold-coated quartz crystal and passed
a current through the crystal to make it…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop