Vitamin C must be considered the preeminent nutrient
supplement. It seems to have the capacity to protect us against coronary heart
disease, arthritis and other inflammatory disorders, iron deficiency, allergies, adrenal
insufficiency, infections, radiation, air pollution, and even aging.
- Michael
Rosenbaum, MD
As if this were not enough, research during the last few years has uncovered even more
revelations about vitamin C and good health. These include the importance of vitamin
C in treating diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, cataracts, male infertility, and
possibly AIDS. This growing list of benefits reinforces the status of vitamin C as
one of the most widely used vitamins in human history.
AMERICA'S MOST POPULAR VITAMIN
One major role is vitamin C's involvement in the production of collagen. Collagen is
the connective protein which binds tissue together. Vitamin C is imperative for the
proper healing of wounds, bruises, fractures and capillary damage and for the formation of
bones, teeth, and cartilage.
Colds are viral infections and vitamin C in large doses has antiviral
characteristics. In a recent publication (The Key to the Power of
Vitamin C and Its Metabolites), Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D. cites a number of studies which
document this phenomenon, including information about the amelioration of cold sores and
the successful prevention of hepatitis infections among transfused surgery patients.
Vitamin C is also well-known as an antioxidant, as a protector against stress,
and as a cholesterol-lowering agent. These functions work together to
protect against degenerative disease, especially heart disease. In a primate study
conducted by Anthony J. Verlangieri, Ph.D., director of the Atherosclerosis Research
Laboratories at the University of Mississippi, animals fed a low vitamin C, high
cholesterol diet were five times more likely to die of heart disease than those on a
similar diet which were also given vitamin C supplementation. Dr. Verlangieri has
commented that both vitamins C and E may protect us from hardening of the arteries,
recommending 1-2 grams of C daily and 250 IU of vitamin E.
With all its capacities, it is easy to understand how vitamin C keeps us healthy and
protects us from disease. The exciting news is that scientific break-throughs have
uncovered even more uses for vitamin C and all of them add to our good health.
BRINGING DOWN HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
An orange a day keeps hypertension away? Scientists aren't ready to go that far yet
but two recent studies do show a link between high blood pressure and low levels of
vitamin C.
Independent studies from the Medical College of Georgia and Tufts University reported
similar relationships. In the Georgia study which involved 67 people, seven folks
with the lowest vitamin C levels had the highest blood pressure levels. Over 200
elderly person participated in the Tufts study which likewise found that as vitamin C
levels went down, blood pressure levels went up. Because these findings are
correlational, the true relationship between vitamin C and blood pressure is not yet
known. However, Science News (May 12, 1990) reflected the optimism of the
studies, titling their article, "Vitamin C May Reduce Hypertension Risk."
SO UNIQUE, IT'S PATENTED!
Two to four times as efficient as other forms of vitamin C, Ester-C ascorbate has been
hailed as the greatest development in vitamin C research in 40 years. In
1988, Nutrition News announced the arrival of Ester-C ascorbate into the marketplace.
Now its benefits are being enjoyed by people on 5 continents.
The answer is natural vitamin C metabolites. These metabolites
are produced during the processing of Ester-C and are biochemically the same as those
created by your own body as a part of the metabolism of vitamin C. Because of the
metabolites, Ester-C can be though of as body ready or cell ready. They make it
possible for vitamin C to enter the body primed for the natural conversion needed for its
use. It is the presence of the metabolites that allows Ester-C to be
absorbed into the blood stream twice as fast and to be excreted twice as slowly as
ordinary vitamin C. This give you a vitamin C tissue level that is up to
four times higher than is normally possible.
More Bioavailability
Unlike ascorbic acid and the ascorbates which are water soluble, Ester-C is both fat and
water soluble. This means that it is able to supply vitamin C more quickly
at both the tissue level and the circulatory level. In addition, it remains in the
tissues longer. Studies completed by Wright and Suen and published by the International
Clinical Nutrition Review (January 1990) showed that 24 hours after taking Ester-C
subjects had twice as much vitamin C in their blood and four times more in their tissues
(white blood cells) compared with controls given conventional vitamin C.
No Side Effects
Ester-C was originally developed to provide a highly absorbable form of vitamin C that
could be taken in large amounts without side effects. Many of you are familiar with
the flatulence, diarrhea, and discomfort experienced when large amounts of C are taken.
This is know as the acid rejection syndrome, Ester-C is totally non-acidic
and has a neutral pH, the same as that of distilled water, eliminating annoying side
effects.
BOOSTING MALE FERTILITY
Vitamin C has been shown to be virtually 100 percent effective in solving a common
type of male infertility. About 16 percent of men over 25 are infertile
because of a tendency for their sperm to clump together. Researcher E.B. Dawson,
M.D., professor of obstetrics and synecology at the University of Texas, explains that
vitamin C increases sperm mobility, dramatically improving the probability of
fertilization in a safe and inexpensive way.
DODGING SIDE EFFECTS OF DIABETES
"Vitamin C supplementation may provide a simple means of preventing and
ameliorating the complications of diabetes without the use of drugs."
This comment was made by Joe A. Vinson, Ph.D. at a recent seminar on vitamin C at the New
York Academy of Sciences. Dr. Vinson, as associate professor of chemistry at the
University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, added that diabetics commonly present low plasma
vitamin C levels, warning that the diabetic patient is at risk for developing "local
scurvy."
He explained that low insulin uptake not only increases blood glucose levels, the
levels of sorbitol (also a blood sugar) in the red blood cells are also increased, causing
a sugar accumulation in the sensitive tissues of the eyes. When Dr. Vinson
gave eight diabetic patients 2,000 mg of vitamin C daily for three weeks, there was an
average sorbitol decrease of 44.5 percent.
HELP FOR ARTHRITIS
Over 30 million American -- about one in seven persons -- suffer arthritis severely enough
to seek medical help. In addition, lost working days, physician visits, and
prescriptions add up to tens of billions of dollars. For a long time logic and
anecdotal reports have pointed to vitamin C as an adjunct in the healing of arthritis.
Unfortunately, no human studies have been conducted which might make more clear the
relationship between vitamin C and arthritis abatement.
Several years ago, G.E. Berge, a holistic veterinarian in Oslo, Norway, found that dogs
under his care seemed to experience relief from pain and stiffness when given large
amounts of vitamin C. Dr. Berge decided to determine whether his findings could be
scientifically verified.
The objective of the study was to observe the effects of Ester-C type vitamin C
in dogs with clinical symptoms of chronic inflammation processes in joints, skeleton, and
muscles. These symptoms are usually ameliorated with cortisone. The
study, which included 100 dogs of different breeds and ages, was carried out over a six
month period. The dogs were given Ester-C (developed and registered as C-Flex for
animal use) at a level of 30 mgs/kg body weight, three times per day orally.
To meet Dr. Berge's criteria, the dogs' symptoms had to have a known cause, to have
been stable over six weeks time, and to be assumed to persist without treatment. The
dogs were diagnosed with the following ailments: arthrosis, spondylosis, hip
dysplasia, older disc prolapses with permanent secondary changes and senile wear changes
in support and movement tissue. The effect of the Ester-C was measured as changes in
symptoms through clinical assessment and owner report. These measurements were taken
after 7-10 days, six weeks, and six months.
The results, published in The Norwegian Veterinary Journal (August/September
1990), showed that after only one week, 75 percent of the dogs already had good
improvement or were free of symptoms. This number remained stable at the
six week and the six month follow-ups. This study indicates that the production of
vitamin C in dogs (and possibly other animals) gives sub-optimal concentrations in some
tissues under certain conditions. We think it also suggests that humans with similar
health concerns would be well advised to increase their intake of vitamin C, especially in
the form of Ester-C.
THE HUMAN PREDICAMENT
Humans, unlike most animals, cannot manufacture their own vitamin C and they must
replenish their supply daily. In comparison with animals who do produce
their own C, the RDA for humans of 60 mg is astonishingly low. The Subcommittee on
Laboratory Animal Nutrition of the National Research Council has recommended that an
animal of 70 kilograms (the weight of the average human) receive 1.75-3.5 grams of vitamin
C per day. That is 1750-3500 mg or 30-60 times that recommended for humans by the
National Research Council!
Recommendations from the vitamin C and nutrition experts range from 1-10 grams
daily, increasing these amounts when under stress of illness or of smoking, birth
control pills, or steroid therapy. Since Ester-C is more efficient in the body, one
can expect 500 mg of Ester-C to be equal to 1000-2000 mg of ordinary forms of vitamin C.
Those who react to ascorbic acid and the ascorbates, who dislike taking megadoses
of C, and whose absorption capacities may be decreased due to age should try Ester-C
vitamin C. It is a true state-of-the-art vitamin supplement. Ester-C ascorbate
is a licensed trademark of the Inter-Cal Corp., Prescott, AZ. Inter-Cal is the
innovator and sole producer of Ester-C. Products containing Ester-C will list the
name of ESter-C and/or its trademark on the label.
The information in this article is not intended as medical advice, but only as a guide
when working with your health practitioner.
Reprinted with permission from Nutrition News. Annual, monthly
subscriptions are available for $18 US to the USA and Mexico, $19 US to Canada, and $29 US
to other countries. Send to Nutrition News, PO Box 55279, Riverside, CA
92517.
Want to try some Ester-C? Check out the Ester-C
from Dynamite.
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