hnewstrom@x102c.harris-atd.com (Harvey Newstrom) (02/07/90)
I came across the following information about the requirements for vitamin C
in monkeys. It is from the Committee on Animal Nutrition about the
Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals. [1]
It seems that monkeys produce 70mg of vitamin C per every kilogram of body
weight. In addition, it is recommended that monkeys be given an additional
55mg of vitamin C per every kilogram of body weight to meet their minimum
needs. It also states that in times of stress the requirements of monkeys
for vitamin C may double or even triple.
This is a total of 125mg of vitamin C per kilogram of body weight per day!
For a 150 pound human, this is about 9 *grams* of vitamin C per day. If in
periods of stress this requirement doubles or triples, that would be 18 grams
or 27 grams of vitamin C per day!
At the risk of hearing about more conspiracy theories, does anyone know if
there is a reason that non-human primates are recommended such high dosages
compared to humans?
[1] Committee on Animal Nutrition. _Nutrient Requirements for Laboratory
Animals_ (Pub.No. 990, National Academy of Science).
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Harvey Newstrom (hnewstrom@x102a.harris-atd.com) (uunet!x102a!hnewstrom)
soon to be (hnewstrom@x102c.ess.harris.com) (uunet!x102c!hnewstrom)