[net.med] Vitamin C megadose caveat

werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (10/25/85)

	A study at Syracuse University among 40 healthy young men of the 
effects of eggs and Vitamin C showed that ingesting 3 eggs with 2000 mg of
Vitamin C daily significantly raised serum cholesterol, epecially harmful LDL,
ingesting Vitamin C alone or eggs alone produced no significant changes.

	Not that this study has any relevance of course,  most people who
megadose Vitamin C are not likely to have a three egg omelette every day.

	Previously the only real side effect of Megadose Vitamin C I was aware
of is Rebound Scurvy,  the result of an acute Vitamin C shortage that results
from dropping suddenly to normal dosage -- while the body continues to burn it
up at R17 (ie, clearly too fast.)


-- 

				Craig Werner
				!philabs!aecom!werner
               "Why is it that half the calories is twice the price?"

tedrick@ernie.BERKELEY.EDU (Tom Tedrick) (10/27/85)

>	Previously the only real side effect of Megadose Vitamin C I was aware
>of is Rebound Scurvy,  the result of an acute Vitamin C shortage that results
>from dropping suddenly to normal dosage -- while the body continues to burn it
>up at R17 (ie, clearly too fast.)

I take about 6 grams of Vitamin C as Calcium Ascorbate crystals
(from Bronson) daily, so I am interested in this subject. I
definitely feel worse when I don't take it, even after a long
period of time (like a year) when the "Rebound" effect should
have disappeared. It has eliminated (pardon the pun) a lifelong
problem with constipation.

However I am certainly not a model of radiant health by any means.
While I prefer to keep taking the Vitamin C, there are some problems.

(1). Speeding up eliminations may result in poor assimilation.
(2). I read a magazine article (a popular type magazine, not
     a respectable scientific one) at the local gym that said
     megadoses of Vitamin C may result in poor assimilation of
     iron.

As this problem is of great interest to me, I would like to
hear about others knowledge of/experience with Vitamin C. And
what does "burn it up at R17" mean? I have no formal medical
education or training ...

Thanks,
	  -Tom

ps- Are there any new developments on the Linus Pauling/Vitamin
    C versus Cancer front? My grandfather's brother who was an
    aerospace engineer died of cancer recently. I gave him a
    copy of Pauling's book but he didn't think much of it,
    and didn't follow its advice.

rusty@sdcarl.UUCP (rusty c. wright) (10/28/85)

just for the record; what are the symptoms of scurvy and what are the
long term after-affects of having had scurvy?
-- 
	rusty c. wright
	{ucbvax,ihnp4,akgua,hplabs,sdcsvax}!sdcarl!rusty