Chemotherapy and Supplements The big debate over whether or not antioxidant supplements conflict with chemotherapy continues. In a recent study, scientists at the National University of Singapore showed that the activity of the common cancer drug Adriamycin (doxorubicin) was affected by supplements of vitamin E or fish oil in an animal population. Life span and heart damage were recorded in tumor-bearing mice treated with doxorubicin at three different doses and fed a standard diet containing either canola oil, fish oil, canola oil and vitamin E, or fish oil and vitamin E. At a treatment dose of 6.0 or 9.0 milligrams doxorubicin per kilogram, the chemotherapy drug extended life span, and the addition of either fish oil or vitamin E enhanced the drug's beneficial effects. However, an opposite trend was seen when a higher dose of doxorubicin (12.0 milligrams per kilogram) was used. This dose caused severe heart damage in test animals, and the addition of fish oil or vitamin E to the regimen actually aggravated the drug's harmful effects. Doxorubicin can cause heart damage in human patients as well, but whether fish oil or vitamin E would exacerbate the drug's effects is unknown. Human clinical trials to test the impact of various nutritional supplements on the effectiveness and toxicity of chemotherapy drugs are sorely needed. Such studies would help clear up the many vexing questions associated with these combinations. Liu QY and Tan BK. Dietary fish oil and vitamin E enhance doxorubicin effects in P388 tumor-bearing mice. Lipids 2002;37:549-56. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.