Gesundheit

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" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

HSI e-Alert - Gesundheit

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 07:00:00 -0400

 

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - Gesundheit

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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September 13, 2005

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

As much as I'd like to indulge in denial, it has to be acknowledged:

Labor Day has passed on by. Summer (please don't shoot the messenger)

is over. We can pause slightly before we turn and go on, but there's

no getting around it. It's time for autumn. And as pleasant as autumn

often is, there's one characteristic of the season that all of us

would surely like to avoid: The common cold.

 

Here's how...

 

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Searching for a low frequency

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In 1970, Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling published " Vitamin

C and the Common Cold. " This book is largely responsible for the

perception that vitamin C intake will produce beneficial effects when

it comes to colds. But can vitamin C supplements actually keep you

from getting a cold? Can they shorten a cold's duration? Can they

reduce the severity of symptoms?

 

To address these questions, scientists at Tokyo's Research Center for

Cancer Prevention and Screening created a long-term vitamin C

intervention study.

 

As reported last month in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition,

researchers enlisted more than 240 subjects who were already

participating in an annual screening program for gastric cancer. (Each

of the subjects had been diagnosed with a gastric condition.)

 

For five years, approximately half the group received 50 mg of vitamin

C daily, while the other half received 500 mg. There was no placebo

control group. Analysis of the data showed that the total number of

colds per 1,000 person-months was more than 21 for the low dose group

and about 17 for the high dose group. And although these results led

researchers to conclude that " vitamin C supplementation significantly

reduces the frequency of the common cold, " supplements appeared to

have no effect on the duration or severity of colds.

 

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C-ing it through

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The report I read on the Tokyo study wasn't specific about what type

of vitamin C was given to the subjects. This is a key detail because,

like vitamin E, some forms of C are more advantageous than others. And

these variables almost certainly play a role in the disparity of

vitamin C study results over the past 35 years.

 

To begin with, most multivitamins barely scratch the surface when it

comes to supplying vitamin C. In the e-alert " Multi-Talented "

(4/23/03), HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., explained: " The amount of

vitamin C in a multivitamin is far less than I'd want a person to

take. I nearly always start with a minimum of 1000 milligrams 2x/day. "

 

And in the e-Alert " Attack of the Vapors " (1/6/04), Dr. Spreen offered

a quick rundown of different types of C, along with some guidelines

for choosing a supplement. Here are a few of Dr. Spreen's highlights:

 

* ASCORBIC ACID: This is the standard form of vitamin C. Calcium

ascorbate is one of the salt forms of the nutrient (as opposed to the

acid form). It is usually synthetic, as are other forms, such as

sodium ascorbate, magnesium ascorbate, etc. (The synthetic vitamin C

molecule is chemically identical to natural forms. The difference

arises in other nutrients that accompany the C, such as bioflavonoids,

which make the C more effective.)

* ROSE HIPS: This natural form of vitamin C is very expensive, so

nobody sells it exclusively (to my knowledge). Manufacturers put a

little in with the synthetic source for marketing purposes.

* ACEROLA VITAMIN C: This is another natural form (from a tropical

American shrub). Like rose hips, acerola is usually mixed with synthetic.

* ESTER C: There is some issue concerning Ester C, touted as

stronger than the standard form. I don't think it's any stronger, and

neither did Dr. Linus Pauling, though you'll see commercials that

indicate otherwise. Some people do feel it has less of a tendency to

upset their stomach, however.

* FAT SOLUBLE VITAMIN C: The fat-soluble form of vitamin C is

called ascorbyl palmitate, and is better absorbed and stored by the

body than water-soluble forms. (All the other forms of C are

water-soluble.) Ascorbyl palmitate is harder to find, and more expensive.

 

Dr. Spreen also points out that absorption may be facilitated by the

regular use of vitamin C. " Assuming you take enough (RDA amounts won't

do it), high doses of vitamin C 'awaken' dormant enzyme systems that

can utilize the additional doses of the nutrient. Over a period of

time they get used to having the higher dose and 'jack up' to

accommodate. "

 

And finally, Dr. Spreen recommends that vitamin C (as well as other

vitamins) be taken in capsule form or powdered. If you take a hard

pill form, make sure it dissolves quickly in water.

 

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....and another thing

 

When someone sneezes, what do you say?

 

According to a web site run by an organization called the Cultural

Exchange Board (CEB), it seems that a sneeze is followed with some

sort of positive acknowledgement the world over.

 

" Gesundheit " of course is the German word for " health. " But in some

places, sneeze responses get a little more complicated than simply

" health " or " bless you. "

 

In Japan, for instance, there are four comebacks for sneezes,

depending on the number of sneezes sneezed. And after the first achoo,

the gloves are off. Sneeze number one receives a word of praise, but

the second receives disparagement, the third receives ridicule and the

fourth is simply a recognition that a cold must be coming on.

 

Sneezers in many Hispanic cultures also get four responses. The first

sneeze receives " health " - in this case, " salud " - followed by " health

and money " for the second sneeze and " health and money and love " for

the third. But there's no such blessing for the fourth sneeze, which

merely receives an " alergias " - an observation that the sneezer must

have allergies.

 

To Your Good Salud,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

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Sources:

 

" Effect of Vitamin C on Common Cold: Randomized Controlled Trial "

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, advance online publication,

8/24/05, nature.com/ejcn/journal

" Vitamin C May Reduce Frequency of Common Cold " Natural Products

Insider, 8/26/05, naturalproductsinsider.com

" Sneezes Around the World " Cultural Exchange Board, netlaputa.ne.jp

 

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