werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (05/15/85)
Reported quite often in the literature are cases of people on strict vegetarian diets taking massive doses of Vitamins, including/especially Vitamin C. Partly as a result of malnutrition (lack of protein) and partially as a result of increased acidity (both to extremely high levels of Ascorbic Acid - which is Vitamin C and lack of the normal buffering capacity that proteins serve in the stomach on their way to digested) these people have extremely high rates of gastric and duodenal ulcer. Of course, it may be argued that the more enlightened vegetarians/ Megadosers are more rational and escape detection by the medical system. The same argument could be made, however, for those people who try home cancer remedies and don't recover. They never live to tell the virtues of non-conventional cures. Of course, complications with Vitamin C are rare compared to some of the problems that occur with Vitamin A overdose (skin rashes, cataracts, and other nasty things). Now who was it on the net who was saying that Vitamins were innocuous ....? -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner What do you expect? Watermelons are out of season!
seifert@hammer.UUCP (Snoopy) (05/20/85)
In article <1586@aecom.UUCP> werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) writes: > Reported quite often in the literature are cases of people on strict >vegetarian diets taking massive doses of Vitamins, including/especially >Vitamin C. > Partly as a result of malnutrition (lack of protein) and > [...] these people have extremely high rates of gastric and duodenal ulcer. Try again, vegetables contain protein. Eating about 2 parts grain to 1 part legume will provide all eight essential amino acids, forming a complete protein. What vegetables don't provide is B12. But the B12 needs of a healthy body are small, and can be provided by the bacteria in the food, and/or the bacteria in the intestinal tract. This may or may not be enough for a body with a need for greater than normal amount of B12. > Of course, complications with Vitamin C are rare compared to some of >the problems that occur with Vitamin A overdose (skin rashes, cataracts, and >other nasty things). > > Craig Werner > !philabs!aecom!werner > What do you expect? Watermelons are out of season! Of course complications with any vitamin are rare compared to the problems of drugs. (death is a good example) Snoopy tektronix!mako!seifert
werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (05/23/85)
In response to seifert@mako and two panicky letters. There is nothing in and of itself wrong with vegetarianism. If done right, it will not result in malnutrition. My point was that some people do not do it right, and they are the ones that end up in the clinic waiting to see the doctor. The same is true of Vitamin C and A complications. Vitamins, just like drugs, are not benign, and can be abused, albeitly not as often (for one - there are few of them, and two, the body has a wide range of tolerance, unlike that for many drugs.) My apologies. I used a deliberately combative prose on the series of three articles. The point remains however, there are no easy answers. -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner What do you expect? Watermelons are out of season!