Optimal Health Newsletter #2 - Vitamin C
The basic format of this newsletter is generally in the format of a conversational dialog. This is for a couple of reasons. If I just write what is in my head it will come out in a conversational manner, and since there is no purpose for this publication aside from the communication of information, there is no reason to edit and re-write., etc. I would like to get this newsletter out as often as I can, so I don’t want to spend a lot of time on syntax, style, and that kind of stuff.
The selection of newsletter topics is somewhat difficult. There is so much that is of interest and significance in the arena of optimal health that it is impossible to even conceive of covering everything. Therefore I am just going to write in bits and pieces, covering topics that I believe are both important and interesting. If there is a health-related subject that you are interested in, and would like my opinion, just let me know and I will try to get to it into a future newsletter, I have told many of you, when you have been in the office, that I am learning every day, and most of what I learn comes from patients. People will ask questions, bring in a book or magazine article, etc. Usually these are relevant to whatever that person’s health issue is, and thus are very interesting to both the patient and myself. I will often end up buying and reading the book, looking up references and researching the article further. In every case, I benefit, because I then have information that can be applied to similar situations in the future. So questions, comments, etc. are very welcome and encouraged. I will try to answer one or more questions with each of these newsletters. I am also seriously trying to keep each edition. short and readable.
The topic I thought I would discuss this issue is a partial discussion of the
role of Vitamin C in body. The topic is vast. The literature available on Vitamin C alone would fill a small (perhaps large) library. Vitamin C is extremely important and has many significant physiologic functions in the body. As with everything related to science (any science, not just medicine), our knowledge is in a continuous sate of evolution. We are not even close to knowing everything there is to know about anything. Nevertheless, with continued research we continue to get closer. One of the people who really advanced knowledge and awareness of the health benefits of supplemental Vitamin C was Linus Pauling. The winner of two unshared Nobel Prizes; he was also the person who gave Watson and Crick the basic direction for solving the structure of DNA. But that’s another very interesting story that we don’t have time/space to discuss here.
First of all, I want to emphasize that Vitamin C is so important that
everyone should be taking it in supplement form. I realize that a statement like this needs some explanation, so ‘here goes’. All the other vitamins can either be made by the body or be obtained in close to optimal amounts from a plant-based diet. All life forms have basic similarities and, in many fundamental respects, we aren’t that much different biologically from plants. Plants need vitamins, so do we. Plants, however, have the capability of manufacturing their own vitamins through many processes, including photosynthesis. Animals, of course, do not have this capability. For the most part, all animals have to obtain their vitamins (except vitamin C), directly or indirectly, from consumption of plants. Although plants make abundant amounts of most vitamins, they don’t make very much Vitamin C! This is because the structural support of plants is cellulose, which does not require Vitamin C in its manufacture. Animals, on the other hand, have collagen as their structural support material and collagen manufacture requires an abundant amount of Vitamin C. Almost all animals manufacture large amounts of their own Vitamin C. An average size goat, for example, which weighs approximately the same as a human (170 pounds, more or less) manufactures about 12 to 14 grams (12 . 14,000 milligrams). This amount is increased dramatically if the animal is under stress. Interestingly, the higher primates, including humans, are among the few animal species that do not make their own Vitamin C. They lack one of the four enzymes need to manufacture Vitamin C from glucose in the body (this can lead into a whole other discussion which is too complicated to get into here) The main point is that humans need Vitamin C for many biological reasons and we don’t make it ourselves, as most other animals do. Therefore, we need to get our Vitamin C from outside sources, and the food supply is not a very good source.
We can get some Vitamin C from plants, particularly citrus fruits. It doesn’t take much to prevent scurvy, a serious and potentially fatal condition associated with severe Vitamin C deficiency. 50 milligrams daily is enough Vitamin C to prevent scurvy, so this has been set as the minimum ‘Recommended Daily Allowance’ (RDA). This amount can be obtained from fresh vegetables and citrus in the diet. However, this is probably far below an optimal amount, which is likely more in the range of what is made by other animals about the same size as humans (like goats). One question that comes up when looking at larger amounts of Vitamin C is, if humans require more than small amounts, why have we survived without them in the diet. I believe the answer to this is that the conditions associated with inadequate Vitamin C are primarily related to chronic illness. In evolution, chronic disease was not a factor. The average life expectancy was 22 years during ancient Greece. Chronic illness was not a factor in prehistoric times, where average survival was not much beyond adolescence. Today, with our much longer life expectancy, the role of supplementary Vitamin C takes on significant additional importance. Also, our earliest ancestors lived primarily in tropical environments where abundant Vitamin C was available in the plant based diet.
So, I guess the bottom line is ‘what do I recommend as a ‘baseline’ amount of supplementary Vitamin C?’ Probably a minimum of 5 grams a day (5000 mg). This sounds like a lot to persons who have been taking none or much less. Start with a lower amount and work up slowly. Higher amounts of Vitamin C can potentially cause some loose stools or even diarrhea. If this occurs, reduce the amount to where there are no problems and then gradually increase again.
In future newsletters I would like to get into some specifics about some of the functions of Vitamin C in the body. There are many! In the meantime, skip the details and just take lots of it!
As I said above, I want to keep these things short. I’ve probably gone on too long already. That's all for this ‘issue’