It has always been known that Vitamin C helps to boost our immune systems and prevent scurvy, yet it is not until recently that scientist have really begun to study some other benefits of Vitamin C. Vitamin C, or Ascorbic Acid, is defined as a white, crystalline vitamin, C6H8O6, found in citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes, and leafy green vegetables and used to prevent scurvy. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for most primates, and is required for many metabolic reactions. Although Vitamin C can be produced internally by many plants and animals, humans do not have that ability, and must acquire it elsewhere. Without any Vitamin C in our systems, we as humans would develop scurvy, which is why Vitamin C is a common additive in many foods.
Scurvy is a disease caused by a lack of Vitamin C. Scurvy can lead to liver spots forming on the skin, soft and porous gums, and bleeding from the mucous membranes. The spots are visible on the thighs and legs. A person with scurvy tends to look pale, feels depressed, and is partially immobile. In the advanced stages of scurvy, there can be open wounds, loss of teeth and, ultimately death. The human body can store only a certain amount of vitamin C, so the body soon depletes itself if fresh supplies are not consumed.
Throughout history it has been known that fresh plant foods are needed to prevent disease. In 1536, a French explorer boiled the needles of a tree along the St. Lawrence River, to make tea for his men who were suffering from scurvy. It was later proven that there was about 50mg of Vitamin C, per 100mg of tea. In 1617, a doctor on a British Navy Fleet ship prescribed lemon juice to the ships officers. In 1734, a Dutch writer stated that "scurvy is solely owing to a total abstinence from fresh vegetable food, and greens; which is alone the primary cause of the disease."
The first controlled experiment regarding Vitamin C was performed in 1747 by a British Royal Navy surgeon by the name of James Lind. Lind believed that scurvy was common among sailors due to a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables at sea. With this belief, he began to provide certain crew members with two oranges and a lemon per day, while the rest of the crew received cider, vinegar and seawater. The results conclusively showed that the citrus fruits helped to prevent, and treat scurvy.
Between 1933 and 1934, British scientists, Haworth and Hirst, as well as a Polish scientist, Reichstein, succeeded in synthesizing Vitamin C. This made it possible to mass produce the vitamin. In 1934 Hoffmann La Roche was the first pharmaceutical company to mass produce the vitamin, under the brand name of Redoxon. In 1937 Haworth was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with Vitamin C, yet the process for attaining the vitamin still contained Reichstein’s name.
Today the uses for Vitamin C have changed greatly from the early 1900’s. Many believe that Vitamin C, "in the right form, with the proper technique, in frequent enough doses, in high enough doses, along with certain additional agents and for a long enough period of time,” can prevent and cure certain common and lethal diseases, such as colds and heart ailments. Others also believe that given properly, Vitamin C and cure AIDS, the bird flu SARS, and Polio.
The most controversial of these issues is Vitamin C’s role in the management of AIDS. In the late 1980’s a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it was shown that in non-toxic doses, Vitamin C has the ability to suppress HIV replication in vitro. Although there have been other studies that have expanded on those results, there has not been a larger scale trial done on this topic.
Vitamin C has been shown to lower blood lead levels of smokers by an average of 81 %, if the smoker took at least 1000mg of the vitamin through supplements. The study also showed that 200mg of the vitamin was ineffective, meaning that supplements can be an “economical and convenient approach to reduce lead levels in the blood”. The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that stated that “based on an analysis of blood lead levels in the subjects of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, that the independent, inverse relationship between lead levels and vitamin C in the blood, if causal, would "have public health implications for control of lead toxicity”. This in itself is a huge step towards the advancement in research regarding Vitamin C.
In 1993, a study was conducted using 18 children who had autism spectrum symptoms. The study found that the symptoms of these children were reduced after a Vitamin C treatment. This study has unfortunately not yet been reproduced.
There have been small clinical trials that have found that Vitamin C can improve sperm count, sperm motility, as well as sperm morphology in infertile men. These same studies have also showed that Vitamin C can improve immune function when it comes to the prevention and treatment for age-associated diseases. The down side to these small trials is that there has not yet been a large scale trial to clearly verify these results.
Stoke is another crippling ailment that has been shown to improve with daily Vitamin C consumption. Dehydroascorbic acid, or the oxidized form of Vitamin C, has been shown to reduce the neurological affects, as well as improve mobility after a person has suffered a stroke. It is thought that Vitamin C is able to do so because of its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), while other antioxidants are not able to do so. In the 2001 study published by the Proceedings of the Nationals Academy of Sciences it stated that “a pharmacological strategy to increase cerebral levels of ascorbate in stroke has tremendous potential to represent the timely translation of basic research into a relevant therapy for thrombo-embolic stroke in humans”. These relevant trials have yet to begin.
In January 2007, the FDA approved a Phase I toxicity trial to figure out safe dosing of intravenous Vitamin C. The intravenous form of the vitamin has been shown to be a possible treatment for cancer in patients who have “exhausted all other conventional treatment options”. It will be another several years before the effectiveness of the vitamin in such treatments will be able conclusive.
In February 2007, an uncontrolled trial was performed using 39 cancer patients where were said to be terminally ill. These patients were given a questionnaire and on these questionnaires they reported improved cancer symptoms and daily functions after high doses of intravenous Vitamin C. The author of the trial concluded that “Although there is still controversy regarding anticancer effects of vitamin C, the use of vitamin C is considered a safe and effective therapy to improve the quality of life of terminal cancerpatients”.
Although there are a great number of benefits to a daily regiment of Vitamin C, it is not without its risk, and side effects. One such side effect is chronic indigestion. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, flushing of the face, headache, fatigue and disturbed sleep. The main toxic reactions in infants are skin rashes. In people with iron disorders, iron poisoning has been said to occur. Another side effect to constant doses of Vitamin C is kidney stones, which occur from built up calcium.
Although I have only mentioned several diseases that Vitamin C has been shown to treat, there are countless others, such as hypertension, cataracts, diabetes, and vasodilatation. However great the benefits of Vitamin C may be, it is always necessary to consult a physician before starting any daily regiment. The research involving Vitamin C is on going and will be so for years to come seeing as how it can be used in so many different ways.
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