Amongst the general public today, vitamin C is probably the
most popular of all nutritional supplements, perhaps
principally because it is widely believed to be effective
as a cure for the common cold. But there is much more to
the nutrient than this, as was demonstrated by the
celebrated Dr Linus Pauling, whose pioneering work hailed
optimal intakes of vitamin C as a powerful weapon against
flu, heart disease and even cancer.
Pauling's books became extremely popular, but it almost
goes without saying that the medical establishment was
quick to ridicule his ideas and still largely refuses to
recognise the value of large doses of vitamin C. Not that
either the public or Pauling, a double Nobel Laureate,
seemed to care much. He regularly took doses of well in
excess of 1,000 mg daily, and was working almost until the
end of his incredibly active 93 year life.
As well as the happy coincidence of Pauling's longevity, if
coincidence it is; a great deal of research now supports
his claims for vitamin C, as well as recognising it as one
of nature's most powerful anti-oxidants and anti-ageing
nutrients. But despite this, the Recommended Dietary
Allowance (RDA) remains set at just 60 mg; and, more
worryingly still, research suggests that around a quarter
of people in the affluent western world, including America
and the United Kingdom, manage to consume only about 40 mg
of vitamin C a day, just 2/3rds of this already very low
RDA.
Despite repeated lectures from government and health
agencies to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a
day, it seems that many people still do not do so. And
even for those who do, the amount of vitamin C yielded from
these foods, grown as they are on nutrient depleted soils,
is likely to be low; and will be depleted further by
pesticides, transport, storage, processing and cooking.
And as if this were not enough, vitamin C is used up easily
once in the body; both by combatting the free radicals
released by normal oxidative biochemical reactions and by
the toxic stresses produced by environmental pollution.
The use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, including
common medications, is also highly destructive of vitamin C.
Given all these factors, it's hard to think many of us are
getting optimal levels of vitamin C, an observation that's
strongly supported by a look at intakes in the animal
kingdom.
What particularly interested Pauling was that human being
are unusual, though not unique, amongst animals in that we
are unable to manufacture vitamin C within our bodies.
Little in nature is ever wasted, and Pauling argued,
logically enough, that animals which do manufacture their
own vitamin C would only make as much as their health
demanded. It seems, however, that most animals produce
around 30 mg of vitamin C per kilo of body weight, and this
figure rises dramatically when the organism is under
particular stress. For an adult human weighing, say, 75kg
(165 pounds), the figure of 30 mg would equate to a vitamin
C requirement of 2,250 mg, which of course must be obtained
from the daily diet or through supplements.
But in case this figure seems high, it is fortunately
possible to compare typical human intakes with those of
closest genetic relatives in the animal kingdom, the great
apes, who are also unable to synthesise vitamin C within
their bodies. Interestingly, the diets prepared for
chimpanzees and gorillas in captivity, presumably with
their optimal health as the intention, seem typically to
yield between 20 and 30 mg of vitamin C per kilo of the
animals' bodyweight. And a 1940s study of gorillas in the
wild estimated a vitamin C intake from their food of around
4,500 mg, typically around 22.5 mg per kilo of the animal's
bodyweight. And of course, it needs to be remembered
that these creatures in the wild are likely to be subject
to far less environmental stress and fewer toxins than
human beings, thereby making better use of the larger
amounts of vitamin C they consume, and further emphasising
the inadequacy of most human's intakes.
In the face of all this evidence, given that humans are
estimated to be around 98% genetically identical to the
great apes, an intake of 1,000 - 2,000 mg a day for a
typical adult would not seem excessive; and the RDA, in
fact, appears pitifully low.
Happily, these optimal intakes of vitamin C are easily
achieved through supplementation, and there are no known
problems of toxicity at any level. But it is probably best
to stagger the intake of high doses through the day, to
maximise absorption and maintain saturation levels in blood
and tissue at all times.
----------------------------------------------------
Steve Smith is a freelance copywriter specialising in
direct marketing and with a particular interest in health
products. Find out more at
http://www.sisyphuspublicationsonline.com/LiquidNutrition/In
formation.htm
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