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Vitamin C protects rat cerebellum and encephalon from oxidative stress following exposure to radiofrequency wave generated by a BTS antenna model

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Akbari A, Jelodar G, Nazifi S · 2014

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RF radiation caused brain oxidative stress in rats at cell tower exposure levels, but vitamin C supplementation significantly reduced the damage.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to radiofrequency waves from a cell tower antenna model for 4 hours daily over 45 days and found it caused oxidative stress in brain tissue. The radiation damaged the brain's natural antioxidant defenses and increased harmful compounds called free radicals. However, when rats were given vitamin C supplements, this damage was significantly reduced, suggesting antioxidants may help protect against RF radiation effects.

Why This Matters

This study adds to mounting evidence that radiofrequency radiation creates oxidative stress in brain tissue, a mechanism that could underlie many of the neurological effects reported in EMF research. The exposure level used (0.68 watts per square meter) is within the range of what you might experience near cell towers or with heavy wireless device use. What makes this research particularly valuable is its demonstration of a potential protective mechanism. The science demonstrates that antioxidant systems are key targets of RF radiation, and this study shows vitamin C can partially counteract that damage. While this doesn't mean supplements are a complete solution to EMF exposure, it does suggest that supporting your body's natural antioxidant defenses may be one piece of a comprehensive protection strategy.

Exposure Details

Power Density
0.6789 µW/m²
Source/Device
900 MHz RFW from BTS antenna model
Exposure Duration
continuous for 4 h/day for 45 days

Exposure Context

This study used 0.6789 µW/m² for radio frequency:

Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextA logarithmic scale showing exposure levels relative to Building Biology concern thresholds and regulatory limits.Study Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.6789 µW/m²Extreme Concern1,000 uW/m2FCC Limit10M uW/m2Effects observed in the Slight Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 14,729,710x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of RFW-induced oxidative stress in the cerebellum and encephalon and the prophylactic effect of vitamin C on theses tissues by measuring the antioxidant enzymes activity, including: glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and malondialdehyde (MDA).

Thirty-two adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four equal groups. The control ...

The results indicate that exposure to RFW in the test group decreased antioxidant enzymes activity a...

It can be concluded that RFW causes oxidative stress in the brain and vitamin C improves the antioxidant enzymes activity and decreases MDA.

Cite This Study
Akbari A, Jelodar G, Nazifi S (2014). Vitamin C protects rat cerebellum and encephalon from oxidative stress following exposure to radiofrequency wave generated by a BTS antenna model Toxicol Mech Methods. 24(5):347-352, 2014.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2014_vitamin_c_protects_rat_59,
  author = {Akbari A and Jelodar G and Nazifi S},
  title = {Vitamin C protects rat cerebellum and encephalon from oxidative stress following exposure to radiofrequency wave generated by a BTS antenna model},
  year = {2014},
  doi = {10.3109/15376516.2014.910852},
  url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15376516.2014.910852},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed rats to radiofrequency waves from a cell tower antenna model for 4 hours daily over 45 days and found it caused oxidative stress in brain tissue. The radiation damaged the brain's natural antioxidant defenses and increased harmful compounds called free radicals. However, when rats were given vitamin C supplements, this damage was significantly reduced, suggesting antioxidants may help protect against RF radiation effects.