Vitamin C: Past-to‑Present

Vitamin C has a long and colorful history. Before it was known by its current name, its importance was realized by people of many cultures. In the 1750’s, Dr. James Lind demonstrated the importance of citÂrus fruit in preventing scurvy among sailors and led to the nickname “limeys” for British mariners. PerÂhaps less well‑known is that the name “ascorbic acid” comes from similar roots, “antiscorbutic,” being the technical term for antiscurvy.
The fact that we have to take vitamin C at all seems to be a sort of biological accident, probably a geÂnetic mutation, which happened hundreds of thouÂsands of years ago. Virtually all animals can produce ascorbate from glucose in their liver through a step‑wise biochemical chain of reactions, each mediated by a specific enÂzyme. In humans, the last enzyme in the series is missing, and it is the loss of this unit that accounts for the vast majority of people in the world being short of acceptable amounts of vitamin C for optimal health and longevity. Some scienÂtists estimate that withÂout the genetic defect, the human adult would manuÂfacture 10,000 to 20,000 milligrams of ascorbate daily and three to five times that amount during stress.
While vitamin C is plentiful throughout the plant kingÂdom, in light of the fact that most people are deficient in it is evidence that few people consume a well‑balanced diet. Therefore supplementation is needed.
Vitamin C – A Necessary Nutrient
Almost anyone can recite at least two or three good reasons to take vitamin C, and new discoveries are regularly announced. Its virtues have been extolled for decades, and supplements from a few milligrams to megadoses have been advocated for everything from the common cold to debilitating conditions. The clinical reÂports supporting the diverse claims of this healthful substance are growing at an astounding rate. Below are just a few of the more recent studies conducted on vitamin C.
Because the eye contains a very high concentraÂtion of vitamin C, studies were conducted to exÂplore the possible link between eye problems and vitamin C deficiency. In a study involving 108 patients with eye conditions, Dr. A. Ringvold and his colleagues found that the majority of the patients lacked adÂequate levels of vitamin C.
A study conducted at the UniverÂsity of Chile in Santiago demonÂstrated that by adding approxiÂmately 100 milligrams of viÂtamin C to the diet of 364 inÂfants, their absorption of iron doubled.
The “British Journal of Clinical Practice” ran an ediÂtorial written by Dr. Haslock, who observed elderly patients with joint problems also often suffered from vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C deÂficiency frequently leads to excess blood in the joints, which in turn leads to many forms of joint discomfort.
In a number of separate studies that included adults of all ages, smokers and nonÂsmokers, and males and females, researchers found that daily suppleÂmentation of vitamin C effectively lowered serum cholesterol by an avÂerage of 15% over an average of 2 to 12 months.
Other studies on vitamin C have conÂcluded that daily supplementation signifiÂcantly boosts the immune system and improves oral health.