Vitamin C

  by Staff Editor

An English naval doctor was given the task of finding a solution to the problem of scurvy in the ranks of Her Majesty's fleet. Dr. Lind found that simply feeding these men citrus fruits, oranges, and lemons cured the disease and prevented it from occurring in others. That was in 1747. Fifty-three years later, in 1800, the British Royal Navy finally took his advice seriously and introduced lemon juice into the diet of shipboard seamen. The incidence of scurvy dropped from 1,457 cases in 1780 to only two cases in 1806. But it was not until 1928 that Noble laureate Albert Szent-Gyorgi isolated the chemical responsible for these dramatic results, and it became known as vitamin C, ascorbic acid. Then, in the early 1960s, Dr. Jonas Salk, already noted for his discovery of the polio vaccine, became a proponent of vitamin C for fighting the common cold. In the mind of the common man, this raised the activity of this vitamin from superstition to medicine, even though there were two hundred years of research to prove its effectiveness.

Today the problem is not in convincing people that vitamin C works, but in trying to find out just how many different things it can do. It seems to be everywhere and do everything. Since it is vital in the formation of collagen, it plays a role in tissue growth and repair, including healing and healthy gums. It also keeps teeth and bones strong. The immune system is enhanced by vitamin C, and it helps in the production of certain hormones.

How to Get Vitamin C into Your Body:

The body does not manufacture vitamin C at all so it must be taken in through diet and supplements. Since it is a water-soluble vitamin, there is no threat of overdose, but high doses taken orally are usually eliminated through the urine. Moderate doses taken several times a day would give better results, but if you really need high doses, it is best to take it intravenously, under a doctor's supervision. It is also best to take estified C (Ester-C), which is created by linking ascorbic acid with a dietary mineral like calcium, potassium, or zinc. This form of vitamin C is nonacidic and is absorbed by the body much better. By the way, chewable vitamin C is hard on your teeth. Don't use it.

Vitamin C Combats the Effects of Water and Air Pollution

As an antioxidant, vitamin C should be considered a foundational part of your antioxidant supplementation. One of its greatest benefits is that it fights the effects of pollution. As we take in pollutants in the air we breathe and the water we drink, all of that toxicity produces free radicals. Vitamin C does wonders to neutralize these radicals. Smokers, who pollute their air on purpose, are especially prone to have lower vitamin C levels because of the simple fact that their reserves are eaten up with each cigarette. This leaves the smoker's immune system weakened and depletes his or her antioxidant capability, thereby opening him or her up to the possibility of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other sickness.

Vitamin C and Cardiovascular Disease

Vitamin C also helps fight cardiovascular disease. By protecting the endothelium (the lining of the artery) from oxidative damage, it promotes better blood flow, even in patients with high blood pressure. A study in the journal Circulation (Nov. 1997) demonstrated that vitamin C reduced the number of superoxide radicals in the arteries, and thereby reduced the number of LDL particles that oxidized. Simply by reducing the number of free radicals floating around, vitamin c: has an indirect effect on stopping lipid peroxidation, which leads to atherosclerosis.

Vitamin C and Diabetes

Diabetics tend to have problems with vitamin C because this nutrient likes to ride on insulin to be carried through the body. So diabetics tend to have low vitamin C levels simply because there is not enough insulin to circulate it. This means that diabetics also have problems with not having enough antioxidant activity, at least the ones who do not take insulin. Dr. S. R. Maxwell et al., showed that this lack of antioxidant activity results in poor control of the diabetes. So the antioxidants don't circulate when insulin is low and then the insulin level tends to crash because there are not enough antioxidants. It is a vicious circle that leads to more rapid progression of the diabetes. Being aware of this and supplementing vitamin C may slow that progress. Likewise, attacks of acute hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) cause a rush of free radicals, which use up the available antioxidants and bring on oxidative stress.

Wide swings, either high or low, result in excessive free radical activity. Therefore, antioxidants are a must if you continue to indulge in refined sugar and other sweets.

Vitamin C and Lung Cancer, Prostate Cancer

Various kinds of cancer have also been associated with vitamin C. A study of more than ten thousand men and women surveyed and followed up with nineteen years later showed that vitamin C intake played a crucial role in preventing lung cancer, with the risk being 66 percent greater for those who consumed the least ascorbate. A new study involving prostate cancer suggests that ascorbic acid inhibits the division and growth of cancerous cells. This means it can be used to treat cancer as well as prevent it.

Vitamin C and Cataracts, Lens Opacities

Researchers were aware that vitamin C helped reduce cataracts, but new evidence has established that connection in a remarkable way. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that women age fifty-six to seventy-one who had used vitamin C supplements for ten years or more had a 77 percent lower incidence of lens opacities. If we looked at moderate lens opacity, there were 83 percent fewer cases. The key in this study was the long-term use of supplements, which gave long-term protection and turned back the clock to reverse the effects of aging.

How Vitamin C Works

It has been mentioned before that one of the key parts of the cell that oxidation will strike is the mitochondria, the energy generators for the cell. Mitochondria have elaborate defenses against oxidation, but one of the key factors in keeping the mitochondria healthy is to not let them be attacked in the first place. This is where vitamin C comes in. Floating in the liquid of the cell, vitamin C can neutralize free radicals before they ever reach the membrane of the mitochondria. This reduces the amount of energy it takes for the mitochondria to fight oxidation and leaves more energy for the life of the cell. This is particularly important because we now know (Molecular Cell Biology, Sept. 1997) that as long as the mitochondria maintain a high energy level, they will win the fight against oxidation. So vitamin C especially plays a vital role in conserving that energy.

One of the most fascinating features of how vitamin C works is the way it interacts with other antioxidants. A study at Tufts University has shown that taking just 220 milligrams of vitamin C boosts the levels of vitamin E by 18 percent and raises beta -carotene levels by 13 percent. Apparently vitamin C regenerates the other nutrients after they have been used to neutralize free radicals. Several studies have demonstrated that when vitamin E reacts with an oxidative particle, it becomes a vitamin E radical, having lost one of its electrons. Vitamin C comes along and restores that vitamin E back to its original state, so it can be recycled and used again. Only in October 1997 was it observed that vitamin E can return the favor and regenerate vitamin C as well. Normally, vitamin C will keep on regenerating vitamin E until all of the ascorbic acid is depleted, and only then will vitamin E start dwindling. If you keep a steady intake of vitamin C, that should never happen. In this way, the water-soluble antioxidants and the fat-soluble ones work together, producing synergistic effects that are much greater than anyone nutrient working alone.