Doctors Who Work With X-Rays May Be Adapting at the Cellular Level to Withstand Radiation
Chest X-Ray Wikimedia Commons Doctors whose bodies are regularly exposed to x-rays may be adapting at the cellular level to protect themselves against radiation, according to a new study. The research hints that humans could adapt to withstand radiation exposure. In a small study, interventional cardiologists, who perform heart operations using catheters guided by x-rays, had higher levels of hydrogen peroxide in their blood, which indicates potentially harmful changes. But they also had higher levels of an antioxidant that protects against cell damage, and their white blood cells had more of an enzyme involved in programmed cell death. Researchers in Italy believe the hydrogen peroxide indicates the radiation causes harm, and that this induces a protective response - the antioxidant, called glutathione, protects cells, and the enzyme that induces apoptosis could reflect the body's way of killing off cells that have been damaged by radiation. Scientists led by Gian Luigi...