Increased intakes of vitamins C and E and other antioxidants may protect against DNA damage in people exposed to ionizing radiation, such as pilots.
Ionizing radiation is radiation from both natural and man-made sources which is energetic enough to create ions from atoms or molecules by removing an electron. At high altitudes, like those achieved by commercial jet airlines, ionizing radiation increases because of exposure to significantly higher levels of cosmic radiation. The detrimental effects of this radiation exposure include potential increased risk of DNA damage, which is considered an important trigger in cancer development.
Researchers report that high intakes of a combination of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and lutein-zeaxanthin from food may protect against this DNA damage., used as a biological marker of cumulative DNA damage. The strongest protective effects -- a reduction of 73 percent in chromosome translocations -- were observed for above average combined intakes of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and lutein-zeaxanthin from food.