Student: Lauren Genn
Graduation date: May 2015
Capstone type: Thesis
Capstone project:
Diabetes and Antioxidants C and E: Narratives of Risk
Capstone file(s): Show file | Show file
This thesis examines the precautionary principle regarding antioxidants C and E, especially in their safety for diabetics. Antioxidants are a common food additive used to prolong the shelf-life of foods. Vitamins and minerals are necessary for human health, but at the same time questions of toxicology are raised when consumption levels increase. Currently, diabetic and antioxidant researchers debate the safety of antioxidants C and E for diabetics. Researchers have documented lower antioxidant efficient pathways in diabetics. Diabetic research has thoroughly shown that the disease is associated with oxidative damage. How doctors, patients and healthcare practitioners should respond to the lower antioxidant efficient pathways is clear. My focus question therefore is what accounts for the varying perspectives on antioxidants incorporated into diets for diabetes patients? Some argue antioxidants increases the health outcomes and others believe increased consumption strains the antioxidant networks and elicit pro-oxidation. In diabetics research for example controversies exist to whether antioxidants C and E reduce blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity or their potential to increase complications to diabetes are currently debated. Methods include literature review, expert interviews in antioxidant and diabetes research, as well as narrative analysis. Narrative studies grounds the data in the controversies of antioxidant C and E use, toxicology, future trends of antioxidant research, and the role of narrative to reach conclusions about antioxidants and food additives in general.