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    Vitamin C Notes

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    Gabriela Novoa
    Linus Pauling promoted high doses of vitamin C in the 1970s, believing it could prevent colds and disease. The recommended daily allowance of vitamin C is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women, though benefits have not been shown from doses above this. While vitamin C is not toxic at high doses for most people, absorption decreases above 1,000 mg and side effects like diarrhea are possible above 3,000 mg.

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    Vitamin C Notes

    Uploaded by

    Gabriela Novoa
    58 views3 pages
    Linus Pauling promoted high doses of vitamin C in the 1970s, believing it could prevent colds and disease. The recommended daily allowance of vitamin C is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women, though benefits have not been shown from doses above this. While vitamin C is not toxic at high doses for most people, absorption decreases above 1,000 mg and side effects like diarrhea are possible above 3,000 mg.

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    Vitamin C notes

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    Linus Pauling promoted high doses of vitamin C in the 1970s, believing it could prevent colds and disease. The recommended daily allowance of vitamin C is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women, though benefits have not been shown from doses above this. While vitamin C is not toxic at high doses for most people, absorption decreases above 1,000 mg and side effects like diarrhea are possible above 3,000 mg.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    58 views3 pages

    Vitamin C Notes

    Uploaded by

    Gabriela Novoa
    Linus Pauling promoted high doses of vitamin C in the 1970s, believing it could prevent colds and disease. The recommended daily allowance of vitamin C is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women, though benefits have not been shown from doses above this. While vitamin C is not toxic at high doses for most people, absorption decreases above 1,000 mg and side effects like diarrhea are possible above 3,000 mg.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Is a glass of OJ or vitamin C tablets your go-to when the sniffles come?

    Loading up on this vitamin was a practice spurred by Linus Pauling in the


    1970s, a double Nobel laureate and self-proclaimed champion of vitamin C
    who promoted daily megadoses (the amount in 12 to 24 oranges) as a way to
    prevent colds and some chronic diseases.

    Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin. This means that it


    dissolves in water and is delivered to the body’s tissues but is not well
    stored, so it must be taken daily through food or supplements. Even before
    its discovery in 1932, nutrition experts recognized that something in citrus
    fruits could prevent scurvy, a disease that killed as many as two million
    sailors between 1500 and 1800. [1]

    Vitamin C plays a role in controlling infections and healing wounds, and is a


    powerful antioxidant that can neutralize harmful free radicals. It is needed
    to make collagen, a fibrous protein in connective tissue that is weaved
    throughout various systems in the body: nervous, immune, bone, cartilage,
    blood, and others. The vitamin helps make several hormones and chemical
    messengers used in the brain and nerves. [2]

    While megadosing on this vitamin is not uncommon, how much is an


    optimum amount needed to keep you healthy, and could taking too much be
    counterproductive?

    Recommended Amounts
    ● RDA: The Recommended Dietary Allowance for adults 19 years and
    older is 90 mg daily for men and 75 mg for women. For pregnancy
    and lactation, the amount increases to 85 mg and 120 mg daily,
    respectively. Smoking can deplete vitamin C levels in the body, so
    an additional 35 mg beyond the RDA is suggested for smokers.
    ● UL: The Tolerable Upper Intake Level is the maximum daily intake
    unlikely to cause harmful effects on health. The UL for vitamin C is
    2000 mg daily; taking beyond this amount may promote
    gastrointestinal distress and diarrhea. Only in specific scenarios,
    such as under medical supervision or in controlled clinical trials,
    amounts higher than the UL are sometimes used. [2]
    Vitamin C absorption and megadosing
    The intestines have a limited ability to absorb vitamin C. Studies have shown that
    absorption of vitamin C decreases to less than 50% when taking amounts greater than
    1000 mg. In generally healthy adults, megadoses of vitamin C are not toxic because
    once the body’s tissues become saturated with vitamin C, absorption decreases and any
    excess amount will be excreted in urine. However, adverse effects are possible with
    intakes greater than 3000 mg daily, including reports of diarrhea, increased formation of
    kidney stones in those with existing kidney disease or history of stones, increased levels
    of uric acid (a risk factor for gout), and increased iron absorption and overload in
    individuals with hemochromatosis, a hereditary condition causing excessive iron in the
    blood. [2]
    Absorption does not differ if obtaining the vitamin from food or supplements. Vitamin C is
    sometimes given as an injection into a vein (intravenous) so higher amounts can directly
    enter the bloodstream. This is usually only seen in medically monitored settings, such as
    to improve the quality of life in those with advanced stage cancers or in controlled clinical
    studies. Though clinical trials have not shown high-dose intravenous vitamin C to
    produce negative side effects, it should be administered only with close monitoring and
    avoided in those with kidney disease and hereditary conditions like hemochromatosis
    and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.

    Vitamin C is involved with numerous metabolic reactions in the body, and obtaining the
    RDA or slightly higher may be protective against certain disease states. However, a
    health benefit of taking larger amounts has not been found in people who are generally
    healthy and well-nourished. Cell studies have shown that at very high concentrations,
    vitamin C can switch roles and act as a tissue-damaging pro-oxidant instead of an
    antioxidant. [2,3] Its effects in humans at very high doses well beyond the RDA are
    unclear, and can lead to increased risk of kidney stones and digestive upset.

    Vitamin C and Health


    There is interest in the antioxidant role of vitamin C, as research has found
    the vitamin to neutralize free radical molecules, which in excess can
    damage cells. Vitamin C is also involved in the inmune system

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