ASK BONNIE for April 2000

Question:

There has been so much bad press about Vitamin C lately. What do make of this?

Answer:

Two recent reports negating the benefits of Vitamin C have been reported by the media in the last month. The headlines read, "Vitamin C Pills, Artery Clogs Linked" and "Vitamin C may hurt Cancer Patients". These are the facts:

The "Clogged Artery Study" took a group of volunteers- 30% of them regularly took vitamins before the study began. The results showed that the participants taking 500 mg. or more of Vitamin C had more clogged arteries than those who avoided supplements. This study was terribly flawed due to the following reasons:

1. Those taking the supplements took them because they had family histories of heart disease, they had already experienced health problems, and had hoped the supplements would "fix them".

2. There was no documentation or consensus of what other vitamins were taken. The volunteers took what they wanted. In research, this is called a "confounding variable".

3. This was not a "random sample" study. Good research always uses random samples.

4. This was not a double blind study. Everyone knew who was taking the Vitamin C and who was not. This study was so flawed that is should never have been reported, much less splashed in every major newspaper. If I had performed a study like this in Public Health School, I would have flunked!

The "Vitamin C hurting Cancer Patients" is even more frightening because it was not based on any studies, only conjecture. Dr. Golde (of Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) warned against cancer patients taking "too much" Vitamin C during radiation therapy because Vitamin C has been found in cancer cells in high concentrations. He says because "the exact function of the vitamin inside cancer cells is unknown", it is best to avoid it completely during treatment. If the same logic were to be applied to most of the medications on the market, they would be best avoided because the researchers don't know exactly why they work for certain conditions.

Why has common sense and hundreds of past studies proving Vitamin C benefits and a long history of safety been thrown out with media hype based on nonsense? There is one simple reason. Vitamin C cannot be patented; therefore drug companies cannot make money selling it. If bogus Vitamin c "scare tactics" work, it is possible to pass laws limiting dosages that can be purchased over the counter. Then the drug companies can make prescription potencies that will cost the public a fortune! I, for one, will continue to recommend at least 500 mg. or more of Vitamin C to most of my adult clients and a lot more if they have health problems that warrant it.

We know that all animals, except guinea pigs, manufacture their own Vitamin C. When they are ill or wounded, their body pumps out huge quantities of Vitamin C and even pours it into the damaged areas to allow for rapid healing. Unfortunately, humans do not have the ability to manufacture Vitamin C, so we have to get it from outside sources. This is why taking extra Vitamin C when a cold or flu invades your system can fight the severity of the illness.

Have a happy, healthy day!

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