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Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin and most people know that lack leads
to scurvy. The optimal amount needed to stay healthy is uncertain - the
RDA (recommended daily allowance - which will keep scurvy away) is 50 -
60mg per day.
However Man and the primates are one of the few species on the planet
who cannot make their own vitamin C (others include guinea pigs, a
fruit eating bat and an Australian bird - the latter eat a lot of fruit
and berries and have a huge vitamin C intake).
A 70kg goat, which is about man sized, converts glucose from its diet to over 13 grams
of vitamin C
per day, and can increase this as required when it becomes sick, up to
over 100 grams. So by these standards an RDA of 60mg (.06 grams)
seems wholly inadequate.
All over the world people take vitamin C supplements and believe they
avoid flu and other illnesses by doing so. The most famous supporter of
this was Dr Linus Pauling, two time Nobel Prize winner, who himself
took 10 grams or more every day.
Sadly, because there is little money to be made by selling vitamin C,
few trials have been performed. (Most modern large trials are usually
funded by drug firms, and they cannot patent vitamin C). However there
is good scientific data showing that vitamin C can boost immune
function, and has an anti viral action.
In diseased states, the need for vitamin C increases. This can be seen
in animals who often increase their vitamin C production more than
tenfold, and also in humans when the amount of vitamin C found in the
blood and the urine falls dramatically during illness and stress. This
suggests that in these conditions, the intake of vitamin C should be
greatly increased.
Vitamin C and Cancer
This is a highly controversial issue. In spite of the ever
increasing evidence of the safety and efficacy of vitamin C in the
prevention and management of Cancer, it is still considered
experimental. As a starting point for anyone considering
intravenous vitamin C as an option in Cancer, we recommend you discuss
the articles below with a health professional, oncologist or doctor at
our clinic.
Recommended Cancer Articles
Background
1.
Gonzalez MJ, Miranda-Massari JR, Mora EM, Guzman A, Riordan NH, Riordan
HD, Casciari JJ, Jackson JA, Roman-Franco A. Orthomolecular oncology
review: ascorbic acid and cancer 25 years later. Integr Cancer Ther.
2005; 4(1):32-44.
2. Cameron E, Pauling L, Leibovitz B. Ascorbic acid and cancer: a review. Cancer Res. 1979; 39(3):663-681.
3.
Cameron E, Pauling L. Supplemental ascorbate in the supportive
treatment of cancer: reevaluation of prolongation of survival times in
terminal human cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 1978; 75(9):4538-4542.
4. Li Y, Schellhorn HE. New developments and novel therapeutic perspectives for vitamin C. J Nutr. 2007; 137:2171-2184.
Intravenous Vitamin C Therapy
5.
Chen Q, Espey MG, Krishna MC, Mitchell JB, Corpe CP, Buettner GR,
Shacter E, Levine M. Pharmacological ascorbic acid concentrations
selectively kill cancer cells: action as a pro-drug to deliver hydrogen
peroxide to tissues. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2005; 102(38):13604-13609.
6.
Chen Q, Espey MG, Sun AY, Lee JH, Krishna MC, Shacter E, Choyke PL,
Pooput C, Kirk KL, Buettner GR, Levine M. Ascorbate in pharmacologic
concentrations selectively generates ascorbate radical and hydrogen
peroxide in extracellular fluid in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2007;
104(21):8749-8754.
7. Padayatty SJ, Sun H, Wang Y, Riordan HD,
Hewitt SM, Katz A, Wesley RA, Levine M. Vitamin C pharmacokinetics:
implications for oral and intravenous use. Ann Intern Med. 2004;
140(7):533-537.
8. Riordan NH, Riordan HD, Casciari JP. Clinical
and experimental experiences with intravenous vitamin C. J Orthomolec
Med. 2000; 15:201-213.
9. Riordan HD, Hunninghake RB, Riordan
NH, Jackson JA, Meng X, Taylor P, Casciari JJ, Gonzalez MJ,
Miranda-Massari JR, Mora EM, Rosario N, Rivera A. Intravenous ascorbic
acid: protocol for its application and use. P R Health Sci J. 2003;
22(3):287- 290.
Benefits of Vitamin C Therapy
10. Yeom CH,
Jung GC, Song KJ. Changes of terminal cancer patients’ health-related
quality of life after high dose vitamin C administration. J Korean Med
Sci. 2007; 22:7- 11.
11. Riordan HD, Jackson JA, Riordan NH,
Schultz M. High-dose intravenous vitamin C in the treatment of a
patient with renal cell carcinoma of the kidney. J Orthomolec Med.
1998; 13:72-73.
12. Padayatty SJ, Riordan HD, Hewitt SM, Katz A,
Hoffer LJ, Levine M. Intravenously administered vitamin C as cancer
therapy: three cases. CMAJ. 2006; 174(7):937-942.
Literature Review
We
are constantly reviewing the literature around vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) in human
pathology. Here is a list of papers covering the vast area of Ascorbic
Acid. You can search the titles by entering a topic at the top of the page. Some may be available online via PubMed, or at least as abstracts. We have many of these papers on file at the Centre.
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Article by Our Team
'Vitamin C: Evidence, application and commentary' originally published in New Zealand Family Physician, by the RNZCGP.
Download article >>>
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