Zinc, vitamin C supplements lower infertility risk in male cancer patients 鋅、維生素 C 補充劑可降低男性癌症患者的不孕風險

Wednesday 06/09/2021 (jkzx.com) — A new study published in the April-Jun 2020 issue of Journal of Medicine and Life suggests that taking zinc and vitamin C supplements can help male cancer patients treated with chemo-therapies such as cyclophosphamide to reduce their risk of infertility.

Cyclophosphamide as an anticancer drug is an alkylating agent, which is a typical carcinogen. It means that the cancer drug can cause cancer. This chemotherapy has been used to treat all sorts of cancer. And lots of adverse effects are expected including secondary cancer and infertility in men.

The study was conducted in male mice. Groups of mice treated with cyclophosphamide were fed on a diet with or without zinc and or vitamin C supplemented and then they were compared for their mount latency and sperm counts.

As study results show, male mice treated with zinc and or vitamin C reduced mount latency and increased sperm counts while mice treated with cyclophosphamide but without the supplements had much longer mount latency and decreased sperm counts.

Researchers of the study concluded that “zinc could improve cyclophosphamide-induced toxicity of the reproductive system in male mice.” They found that vitamin C provides some protection but not as much protection as zinc does.

The protective effect of vitamin C against free radicals is well known. Many cancer patients use vitamin C not as a protective to preserve fertility, but as a therapeutic agent. High doses of vitamin C administered through intravenous injection have proved effective at treating cancer.

However, many doctors are not convinced and still consider vitamin C and other antioxidants an antagonist against cancer therapeutics. In fact, vitamin C boosts cancer patients’ quality of life and in many cases drastically increases the anticancer efficacy of the treatments cancer patients receive including radiation therapy and chemotherapy. (Dr. Lu)