VITAMIN C
Known for fighting colds, this nutrient is anything but common.
Vitamin C is perhaps one of the most recognized nutrients, particularly during cold and flu season. From the support of a known Nobel Prize winner, to its use by the British navy, this immune supporter has never lacked in notoriety.
Supplementation of vitamin C can decrease the intensity of cold and flu symptoms and be safely combined with other nutrients to maintain a strong immune system during fall and winter months.
Two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling was a leading proponent of vitamin C, advocating its use until his death at 93. Pauling suggested high dose supplementation for the treatment of heart disease, and improved survival for patients with various types of cancer [1]. Repeat studies have failed to show this same benefit, though many have argued that follow-up studies were significantly flawed in execution. Research is now underway to look at the role of intravenous vitamin C with cancer treatments. Many integrative doctors advocate this use for its high safety record and successful documented cases.
Vitamin C deficiency, known as scurvy, was one of the earliest recognized deficiencies in traditional medicine. As European explorers ventured across the oceans on long voyages, sailors began to experience significant symptoms such as poor wound healing. Vitamin C is necessary to help manufacture collagen, a building block of structural support needed throughout the body [2]. Scurvy can also cause weak bones, small blood vessels to break more easily, and can affect the health of the gums. The sailors of the past suffered from limited food sources of vitamin C and refrigeration. The British navy eventually learned that the sailors would stay healthy by eating fruit.
To date, conventional medicine has not fully embraced Pauling’s view of vitamin C as a treatment for heart disease. Given the integral role of vitamin C in collagen formation, particularly in relation to blood vessels, it is still possible Pauling was correct. Larger studies are needed to explore this method. Data shows that vitamin C can help with the function of blood vessels in patients with diabetes, hypertension and heart disease [3, 4, 5].
Food sources of vitamin C are vast and include fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, broccoli and red peppers. Fortunately, these are foods that provide not only vitamin C, but several other nutrients as well.
Dosing for vitamin C depends on the patient’s needs. Routine dosing typically ranges from 500-1,000 mg per day. Many integrative physicians suggest increasing the vitamin C dosage to “bowel tolerance” to treat colds and other viral infections, or even in chronic health conditions like fatigue or cancer. Labels may include various forms such as Ester-C, ascorbic acid, or Ascorbyl palmitate. No single type of vitamin C stands out above the rest and choices should be made based on personal preference.
Bowel tolerance means that a dosage of vitamin C (typically 500-1,000 mg) can be taken every 1-2 hours until symptoms of loose bowels or bloating occur, at which point consumption should be stopped for that day. On the next day, the dosage should be decreased slightly so that bowel-related side effects are not repeated. This level of treatment can continue until symptoms have resolved.
In those battling constipation, a similar supplementation strategy can be followed. In fact, vitamin C is commonly used to treat constipation because of its benefits to the immune system.
Bloating and loose bowels are known side effects of excessive vitamin C. This typically occurs if 1,500 mg or more is taken at one time. Vitamin C can increase the absorption of iron from food or supplements. Those with a history of excess iron may need to be cautious with intake.
References:
1. Cameron, E. (1976). Supplemental ascorbate in the supportive treatment of cancer: Prolongation of survival times in terminal human cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA,73(10):3685-9.
2. Guyton and Hall. Textbook of Medical Physiology 9th Ed. Pages 898.
3. Ting, H.H. (1996). Vitamin C improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. J Clin Invest, 97(1):22-8.
4. Taddei, S. (1998). Vitamin C improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation by restoring nitric oxide activity in essential hypertension. Circulation, 97(22):2222-9.
5. Erbs, S. (2003). Improvement of peripheral endothelial dysfunction by acute vitamin C application: Different effects in patients with coronary artery disease, ischemic, and dilated cardiomyopathy. Am Heart J, 146(2):280-5.
Other Trusted Sources:
Oregon State University
Medline Plus
Howstuffworks.com
