Is antioxidant supplements (polyphenols, vitamins, carotenoids) Safe with antineoplastic chemotherapy (cytotoxic)?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Avoid concurrent use of antioxidant supplements (e.g., polyphenols, vitamins, carotenoids) during cytotoxic chemotherapy for breast cancer. These supplements can neutralize essential ROS needed for chemotherapy to work, potentially increasing disease recurrence and mortality. Consult your oncologist before taking any antioxidant supplement during active cancer treatment.
Why this interaction occurs
Concurrent administration of antioxidants during cytotoxic chemotherapy can inadvertently neutralize essential reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are critical mediators of antineoplastic cell death. This ROS quenching has been correlated with increased disease recurrence and mortality in breast cancer patients.
Evidence
Evidence level: moderate.
Data source
PubMed - PMID 42123930
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 87,326 reports mentioning antineoplastic chemotherapy (cytotoxic). This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the antineoplastic chemotherapy (cytotoxic) + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.