Absorption of Vitamin Megadoses

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http://www.doctoryourself.com/c_roberts.html

 

Absorption of Vitamin Megadoses

 

Edited and reprinted with the permission of Scott

Roberts scottr December 2, 1999

 

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Errors in JAMA Vitamin C Article

by Scott Roberts

 

The April 21, 1999 Journal of the American Medical

Association article on vitamin C by Mark Levine, et al

attempted to show by blood and urinary data that

vitamin C in doses greater than 100 to 200 mg/day have

no useful benefit in humans. The article is important

because it strives to guide the new RDA for vitamin C

towards a mere 100 to 200 mg/day. The article can be

seen at

http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v281n15/full/jsc80392.html.

 

 

The severity of the inadequacy of the article can be

seen by the following observations: The article

cites a 1997 article to claim vitamin C in gram doses

has no place in the treatment of colds while ignoring

a Feb 1999 article by the SAME RESEARCHER that claimed

2 g/day reduces the duration of colds by 26%. The

abstract of that reference is included below. Pauling

claimed vitamin C would have its greatest effect on

the common cold when a gram was taken every hour

instead of just once a day.

 

The article recommends an RDA of 100 to 200 mg/day

based on arguments that are almost entirely

theoretical instead of citing the many real-world

studies showing substantial health benefits from

levels greater than 1 g/day (including numerous

studies on specific diseases done in the 1940's and

1950's - see the 1971 book by Irwin Stone " The Healing

Factor - Vitamin C against Disease " ). On the internet,

an article about high doses can be found at

http://www.orthomed.com/klenner.htm and

http://www.garynull.com/documents/vitaminc.htm.

 

By the article's own admission, it recommends an RDA

of 100 to 200 mg/day based on faulty data

manipulation. The authors chose to measure steady

state blood plasma concentration after ingestion

instead of actual concentrations because the

calculation for actual concentrations was " too

complex " . From reading the text, one would think 60

umol/L in the blood is as high as can be possibly

achieved (which results from ingesting 100 to 200

mg/d). However, by making an estimation of their lower

graph in figure 3, the data indicates that if 1,000 mg

were taken 4 times a day (the minimum recommendation

of several popular nutrition experts such as Dr.

Whitaker, Dr. Cathcart, Dr. Hoffer, Dr. Pauling, Dr.

Klenner, and Irwin Stone), it would average out to

about 180 umol/L. Surely a little more calculation (or

even some estimating) would have been worth the effort

to show a 3-fold increase!

 

The authors' blood and urinary data used to support

their suggested maximum recommended daily amount of

100 to 200 mg/d is claimed to be better than data

previously available. The JAMA article's data and

arguments are 20 years old. Linus Pauling in his 1986

book " How to Live Longer and Feel Better " used nearly

the exact same blood, urine, and absorption data (pp

108-112) to address the exact same misunderstandings

to show that 140 mg/d should be considered an absolute

minimum value instead of a maximum. Pauling believed

the optimum range of vitamin C for most people would

be between 3 and 20 g/d.

 

The authors do not seemed bothered or amazed that

their claims indicate humans need 10 to 100 times less

vitamin C than almost every other animal on the planet

(adjusted for body-weight). Gorillas get 20 to 40

times as much in their diet and the RDA-equivalent for

monkeys is also about 20 to 40 times higher than the

authors are recommending for humans. Why is the RDA

set so low for humans and so high for monkeys?

 

The authors do not give any physiological explanation

for why they believe humans are so unique among the

animal kingdom as to find relatively small doses (1

g/d) of vitamin C " toxic " . This size dose has never

resulted in a human suffering an adverse health effect

(other than those who are sensitive to it have

temporary diarrhea). The article discusses increased

iron absorption and oxalate production, but no case of

a human being harmed is reported. The article's

suggested " toxic " level for humans is approximately

the bare minimum needed by all other animals. Other

large mammals sacrifice 2% to 4% of their daily food

energy to make vitamin C in concentrations 10 to 20

times higher than what the article considers " toxic " ,

showing that not only is it not toxic, but it's more

important than having a little extra food!

 

TITLE: Vitamin C supplementation and common cold

symptoms: factors affecting the magnitude of the

benefit. AUTHORS: Hemila H AUTHOR AFFILIATION:

Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki,

Finland. Med Hypotheses 1999 Feb;52(2):171-8

CITATION IDS: PMID: 10340298 UI: 99271657 ABSTRACT:

Placebo-controlled trials have shown that vitamin C

supplementation decreases the duration and severity of

common cold infections. However, the magnitude of the

benefit has substantially varied, hampering

conclusions about the clinical significance of the

vitamin. In this paper, 23 studies with regular

vitamin C supplementation (> or = 1 g/day) were

analyzed to find out factors that may explain some

part of the variation in the results. It was found

that on average, vitamin C produces greater benefit

for children than for adults. The dose may also affect

the magnitude of the benefit, there being on average

greater benefit from > or = 2 g/day compared to 1

g/day of the vitamin. In five studies with adults

administered 1g/day of vitamin C, the median decrease

in cold duration was only 6%, whereas in two studies

with children administered 2 g/day the median decrease

was four times higher, 26%. The trials analyzed in

this work used regular vitamin C supplementation, but

it is conceivable that therapeutic supplementation

starting early at the onset of the cold episode could

produce comparable benefits. Since few trials have

examined the effects of therapeutic supplementation

and their results have been variable, further

therapeutic trials are required to examine the role of

vitamin C in the treatment of colds.

 

Some writers have claimed that excess vit c is

excreted immediately. Taking 5 hours for blood

concentration of vit C to drop to levels that are

still 2 times higher than normal steady state levels

is not what I'd call " immediate " excretion. At two

hours after the dose, vit C concentration is almost 4

times steady state levels. This data is for 1250 mg.

For the proof of my statements, see figure 3 in the

reference and paragraph 2 of page 1418 in the PDF

file.

 

If someone is taking large doses of V-C they should

not just stop.The body has altered its absorption rate

and it takes a while for it to readjust. One should

taper off of large doses gradually. Linus Pauling

believed in the " rebound scurvy " effect. He said you'd

be more susceptible to colds if you skipped even a day

(if you took the large doses). Interestingly, the JAMA

article says it is a myth.

 

Personal viewpoint:

Some vitamin C critics' personalities remind me a

little of me before i starting taking normal Earth

animal size doses of ascorbic acid powder (16

grams/day in 4 glasses of grape or orange juice spaced

apart). My yearly physicals don't show any change in

metals. Cholesterol from 210 to 160. Stress level

plummeted. I still get a cold once a year, but my nose

never gets stuffy. I used to always have to have

kleenex boxes in places like my car, desk drawer, den,

and bedroom, but now I never need them.

 

There is also a surprising " high " I get. I can't

compare it to anything - it just makes me feel better.

It lasts at least an hour and often up to 2 hours,

right in-line with figure 3 in the JAMA article. It's

probably above 400 umol/L in plasma that causes the

high feeling (in me, not necessarily others). It's

sort of like pressure in my head is reduced. I feel

like the relief in stress relaxes me. The high feeling

is stronger when it's been awhile since the last dose.

I take the large doses because it makes me feel

better, not because it's good for my health. I'll

notice I'm not feeling good and say " hmmmm, 4 grams

sure would hit the spot right now. " Even if I don't

have juice available, I'll put the powder ascorbic

acid in water and bear the bitterness. By the way, the

pH is less than coke even at 10 grams per glass of

water.

 

(Additional Comment by Andrew Saul, PhD:) Discount

stores and even health food stores have deals on

vitamin C. In Rochester, NY (and other cities, surely)

there's a health food store selling ascorbic acid

crystals for about $16 a pound. My son and my

daughter (vitamin C megadosers since infancy; all the

way into college and not one dose of any antibiotic...

I'll put the wallet full of pictures away now; pardon

me) found vitamin C at a chain nutrition store for

just over two cents a gram, in tablets. Is that ever

cheaper than (the new, costly and side-effect-ridden

antibiotic) " Cipro " ! During illness, even more

frequent doses are indicated (sources below for those

interested.) Hourly " C " is not at all too often

during the 'flu.

 

Mr. Roberts' experience with vitamin C so closely

parallels my own that I'll just conclude with a " right

on. "

 

More information at

http://www.vitamincfoundation.org

http://www.cforyourself.com

http://www.orthomed.com

http://www.orthomed.org