Over the years, antioxidants and antioxidant-rich foods have been considered a panacea for cancer prevention and anti-aging, and both consumers and manufacturers have thrown themselves into the national movement of antioxidants. One after another antioxidant has been developed, and the antioxidant power is said to have increased hundreds of times. However, the recent “antioxidant craze” has been thrown into a pot of cold water. In fact, all clinical trials of antioxidants to date have shown no protective effect against cancer. In some trials, antioxidants have also accelerated cancer growth. In a paper published in the current issue of New England Medicine, Dr. David Tuveson, a professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Dr. Navdeep Chandel of Northwestern University, recently revealed why antioxidants do not inhibit cancer, but instead promote cancer cell development. There is a natural balance between oxidants and antioxidants within cells, and the presence of small amounts of oxidants is necessary, but excess oxidants can cause toxic effects, such as the production of large amounts of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) by cancer cells to sustain their abnormal growth. Therefore, it seems logical to increase antioxidants to counteract peroxides ROS. In fact, the result of any disruption of the natural balance is catastrophic. Drs. Tuveson and Chandel found that taking antioxidants or consuming large amounts of antioxidant-rich foods did not show anti-cancer effects, but instead had the effect of promoting cancer development and progression. Drs. Tuveson and Chandel suggest that antioxidants may stimulate cancer cell development, so that suppressing antioxidants and increasing oxidant levels is the right approach to cancer treatment. In fact, radiation therapy and some chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells by raising the levels of oxidants. So the absence of antioxidants during cancer treatment is a basic requirement to ensure the efficacy of treatment. Nobel laureate Watson has long argued that antioxidants not only do not help prevent cancer, but may even cause it. In an article published in the Royal Society’s Open Biology, Watson noted that antioxidants “may cause more cancers than they prevent”. He said, “The newly published findings suggest that many cases of terminal cancer that are incurable may be due to the accumulation of too many antioxidants in the patient’s body. Scientists must seriously explore the issue that too many antioxidants can cause cancer. According to Watson, a variety of antioxidants, including vitamins A, C, E and selenium, not only do not help prevent stomach cancer or extend life, but may even reduce it, and vitamin E may be particularly dangerous. Drs. Tuveson and Chandel explain Watson’s view theoretically, suggesting in particular that the point of action of antioxidants should be in the cellular energy factories of the mitochondria. Nowadays, there are more and more antioxidants on the market with more and more antioxidant power. Unfortunately, the point of action of these antioxidants is not right, and the stronger the antioxidant power is, the more damage it may do to health. If taking powerful antioxidants leads to cancer or accelerates the development of cancer, it is too late to spend money on the disease. Coenzyme Q10 is a substance that can play an antioxidant role in the mitochondrial cellular energy factory, for example, coenzyme Q10 itself is involved in cellular energy production in the mitochondria, and it also removes excess oxides and ROS from the mitochondria, unfortunately, some manufacturers chemically modify coenzyme Q10 into a reduced form in order to increase the antioxidant capacity, which is a waste of time. Check your own medicine cabinet for antioxidants and think twice about whether to continue taking them.