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Too much of a good thing?

Nature Biotechnology volume 19, page 811 (2001)Cite this article

To the editor

The boosted antioxidant activity of transgenic tomatoes containing up to 78-fold enhanced levels of the peel flavonol rutin, reported in the May issue (Nat. Biotechnol. 19 , 470–474, 2001 ), was touted to confer health promoting effects against coronary heart disease and certain forms of cancer. However, as the celebrated physician Paracelsus noted: “All substances are poisons...The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.” In this context, while flavonols and related polyphenols can be beneficial, they can also have potentially harmful effects.

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  1. Gray Cancer Institute, P O Box 100, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, HA6 2JR, Middx., UK

    Mark Burkitt

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Burkitt, M. Too much of a good thing?. Nat Biotechnol 19, 811 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0901-811a

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