The Studies: Benefits of Vitamin C
Antioxidant Studies
- Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, meaning that it readily donates electrons to recipient molecules preventing free-radicals and harmful oxidataion that occurs naturally in the body.[i] Normally, free-radicals outnumber antioxidants and by adding antioxidants to the system you can neutralize the free-radicals.
Cardiovascular Studies
- Coronary heart disease- Many prospective cohort studies have examined the relationship between vitamin C intake from diet and supplements and cardiovascular disease risk and found that there is an overall inverse association between higher vitamin C intakes and cardiovascular risk.[ii] Suggest that maximal reduction of cardiovascular risk may require vitamin C intakes of 400 mg/day or more[iii].
- Stroke- EPIC-Norfolk study, a 10-year prospective cohort study in 20,649 adults, found that individuals with plasma vitamin C levels in the top quartile (25%) had a 42% lower risk of stroke compared to those in the lowest quartile.[iv]
- Hypertension- A recent meta-analysis of 29 short-term trials (each trial included 10 to 120 participants) indicated that vitamin C supplementation at a median dose of 500 mg/day for a median duration of eight weeks reduced blood pressure in both healthy, normotensive and hypertensive adults.[v]
Immune Health Studies
- Vitamin C has been shown to stimulate both the production and function white blood cells[vi]. In response to invading microorganisms, Vitamin C, through its antioxidant functions, has been shown to protect white blood cells from self-inflicted oxidative damage[vii].
Cancer Studies
- Studies suggested that very large doses of vitamin C (10 grams/day infused intravenously for 10 days followed by at least 10 grams/day orally indefinitely) were helpful in increasing the survival time and improving the quality of life of terminal cancer patients[viii]. Furthermore higher plasma levels ascorbic were shown to be toxic to cancer cells in culture. It may involve the production of high levels of hydrogen peroxide, selectively toxic to cancer cells[ix].
- In 2008, for the first time, using a special liposomal form of oral-dose vitamin C, researchers in Britain demonstrated it is possible to achieve cancer-killing blood concentrations of this vitamin without undesirable side effects. Studies with various forms of cancer show a 30%-to-50% cancer cell-killing effect.[x]
- Additional Studies have been done regarding the a positive correlation of Vitamin C and the following Cancers: [xi]
- Breast cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Colon cancer
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataract Studies
- Age-related changes to the lens (thickening, loss of flexibility) and oxidative damage contribute to the formation of cataract, cloudiness or opacity in the lens that interferes with the clear focusing of images on the retina. Decreased vitamin C levels in the lens of the eye have been associated with increased severity of cataracts [xii]. Some studies increased concentration of vitamin C in the blood is associated with decreased risk of cataract formation. [xiii]
Common cold Studies
- One Study found in participants undergoing heavy physical stress (e.g., marathon runners, skiers, or soldiers in subarctic conditions), vitamin C supplementation halved the incidence of colds [xiv]. A benefit of regular vitamin C supplementation was also seen in the duration of colds, with a greater benefit in children than in adults observed in therapeutic trials in which vitamin C was administered after cold symptoms occurred.
Symptoms of Vitamin C deficiency?
Not obtaining enough vitamin C in your diet can result in detrimental health conditions like Scurvy. Symptions of this are
- Tiredness and weakness.
- Muscle and joint pains.
- Easy bruising.
- Spots that look like tiny, red-blue bruises on your skin.
Other symptoms can include:
- Dry skin.
- Splitting hair.
- Swelling and discoloration of your gums.
- Sudden and unexpected bleeding from your gums.
- Poor healing of wounds.
- Problems fighting infections.
- Bleeding into joints, causing severe joint pains.
- Changes in your bones.
- Tooth loss.
- Weight loss.
Are you at risk for Vitamin C deficiency?
- High Drug/alcohol consumption and unhealthy diet
- Participation in some fad diets.
- Eating a diet of primarily processed foods
- Certain medical conditions that affect the body’s ability to digest and absorb food, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Elderly people who eat a less varied diet.
- Smoking affects the absorption of vitamin C from foods and also vitamin C is used up in the body more quickly in those who smoke.
- Pregnant or Breastfeeding women because they need higher amounts of vitamin C.
When looking for Vitamin C Supplement which one should you choose??
Approximately 30% of Americans using vitamins consume vitamin C. The Recommended Daily allowance of Vitamin C is 60mg/day to prevent scurvy, and the upper levels that can safely are reported to be 4000/day because vitamin C is unlikely to be harmful or toxic in high dosages. Vitamin C is not very bioavailable- in fact, if you are taking Vitamin C supplements without a high-bioavailability formula it is usually only around 20% bioavailable. Citrus Bioflavonoids can enhance the bioavailability of Vitamin C (+ around 35%).
High Bioavailability Vitamin C
Liposomal Vitamin C has been studied and is reported to be more bioavailable than ordinarly oral vitamin C. “Advantages of liposomal encapsulation include accelerated intestinal absorption, increased stability of the pharmaceutical, protection of the gut from potentially irritating agents, and greater bioavailability”[xv]
Make sure you chose the right supplement especially regarding Vitamin C with his many health benefits†.
- High Bioavailability Liposomal + Solubility dosage is a MUST†
- Citris Bioflavonoids for higher absorption†
- High Potency 1000mg or more Daily†
- Quality Trusted Manufacturer†
Sources:
[i] Combs J, Gerald F. The Vitamins. 4 ed. Burlington: Elsevier Science; 2012. Erdman JW, MacDonald I, Zeisel SH, International Life Sciences Institute. Present knowledge in nutrition. 10th ed. Ames, Iowa: International Life Sciences Institute; 2012.
[ii] Knekt P, Ritz J, Pereira MA, et al. Antioxidant vitamins and coronary heart disease risk: a pooled analysis of 9 cohorts. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80(6):1508-1520. (PubMed) Ye Z, Song H. Antioxidant vitamins intake and the risk of coronary heart disease: meta-analysis of cohort studies. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 2008;15(1):26-34. (PubMed)
Frei B. To C or not to C, that is the question! J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003;42(2):253-255. (PubMed)
[iv] Yokoyama T, Date C, Kokubo Y, Yoshiike N, Matsumura Y, Tanaka H. Serum vitamin C concentration was inversely associated with subsequent 20-year incidence of stroke in a Japanese rural community. The Shibata study. Stroke.
Myint PK, Luben RN, Welch AA, Bingham SA, Wareham NJ, Khaw KT. Plasma vitamin C concentrations predict risk of incident stroke over 10 y in 20 649 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer Norfolk prospective population study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008;87(1):64-69. (PubMed)
[v] Juraschek SP, Guallar E, Appel LJ, Miller ER, 3rd. Effects of vitamin C supplementation on blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;95(5):1079-1088. (PubMed)
[vi] Anderson R, Oosthuizen R, Maritz R, Theron A, Van Rensburg AJ. The effects of increasing weekly doses of ascorbate on certain cellular and humoral immune functions in normal volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr. 1980;33(1):71-76.
[vii] Jariwalla RJ, Harakeh S. Mechanisms underlying the action of vitamin C in viral and immunodeficiency disease. In: Packer L, Fuchs J, eds. Vitamin C in Health and Disease. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.; 1997:309-322.
[viii] Cameron E, Pauling L. Supplemental ascorbate in the supportive treatment of cancer: Prolongation of survival times in terminal human cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976;73(10):3685-3689.
[ix] Chen Q, Espey MG, Krishna MC, et al. Pharmacologic ascorbic acid concentrations selectively kill cancer cells: action as a pro-drug to deliver hydrogen peroxide to tissues. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005;102(38):13604-13609. (PubMed)
Chen Q, Espey MG, Sun AY, et al. Ascorbate in pharmacologic concentrations selectively generates ascorbate radical and hydrogen peroxide in extracellular fluid in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007;104(21):8749-8754. (PubMed)
Chen Q, Espey MG, Sun AY, et al. Pharmacologic doses of ascorbate act as a prooxidant and decrease growth of aggressive tumor xenografts in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008;105(32):11105-11109. (PubMed)
[x] http://whale.to/c/Researchers%20Achieve%20Cancer-Killing%20Effect%20With%20Oral-Dose%20Vitamin%20C.pdf
[xi] http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-C
[xii]Yoshida M, Takashima Y, Inoue M, et al. Prospective study showing that dietary vitamin C reduced the risk of age-related cataracts in a middle-aged Japanese population. Eur J Nutr. 2007;46(2):118-124. (PubMed)
[xiii] Simon JA, Hudes ES. Serum ascorbic acid and other correlates of self-reported cataract among older Americans. J Clin Epidemiol. 1999;52(12):1207-1211. (PubMed)
- Dherani M, Murthy GV, Gupta SK, et al. Blood levels of vitamin C, carotenoids and retinol are inversely associated with cataract in a North Indian population. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008;49(8):3328-3335. (PubMed)
[xiv] Hemila H, Chalker E. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2013;1:CD000980. (PubMed)
[xv] Kraft JC, Freeling JP, Wang Z, Ho RJ. Emerging research and clinical development trends of liposome and lipid nanoparticle drug delivery systems. J Pharm Sci. 2014;103(1):29–52. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
