Micronutrients & recovery
Deficiencies in specific micronutrients (folate, B12, B6, C, E, iron, zinc, niacin) cause DNA damage through mechanisms mimicking radiation, including single/double-strand breaks and oxidative lesions, thereby increasing cancer risk.
Ensure your diet includes enough fruits and vegetables to meet micronutrient needs, as deficiencies in vitamins like folate, B12, C, and E are common and can cause DNA damage similar to radiation. This damage is a key driver of cancer risk. Remedying these deficiencies through diet or supplements is a low-cost, high-impact strategy for improving long-term health and longevity.
Deficiencies of the vitamins B12, B6, C, E, folate, or niacin, or of iron or zinc mimic radiation in damaging DNA by causing single- and double-strand breaks, oxidative lesions, or both.
Why this rating
Strong mechanistic evidence (uracil incorporation, chromosome breaks) and consistent epidemiological data linking low intake to higher cancer rates.
Source
Micronutrient Deficiencies: A Major Cause of DNA Damage
Bruce N. Ames · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 1999
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