What's up with Vitamin C?

[Stan_Shmenge]

I was under the impression that consuming too much vitamin c could cause kidney stones or some similar problem.

[BorgHunter]

@qazwart

Vitamin C is a necessary nutrient, but the mega doses specified by some people have never been shown to be of any benefit.

What’s interesting, though, is that Homo sapiens is in a very unique class vis-a-vis vitamin C—we’re one of the few creatures who don’t synthesize it on our own. The argument that megadosers make is that given our body weight, we should have a daily intake of somewhere between 5 and 20 grams of vitamin C a day. (I forget what the exact number is.) There is some logic to that argument, although to my knowledge studies don’t tend to show any tangible benefit.

[ChrisBooth12]

I’d rather had a cold than diarrhea

[Chronos]

Another factor in answering the OP’s question is that we expect juice-like drinks to have vitamin C. Everyone knows that citrus and citrus juice is a good source of C, so people expect citrus-flavored things to have C also. But orange juice isn’t much of a source of, say, B12, so it’s unremarkable that Gatorade doesn’t have B12 either.

[barbitu8]

@ChrisBooth12

I’d rather had a cold than diarrhea

The diarrhea is very temporary - a couple of hours at most. A cold lasts two weeks.

Alex Dubinsky:

Are you sure it wasn’t due to a thundering herd of cynics still hung up on the old debate.

If you check my link, you will see that the RDA has been increased from 60 mg daily to 75 mg daily. As the Berkeley Wellness Letter stated, they once recommended that people ingest 250 mg. A more recent letter stated that they changed their mind.

Stan Shmenge:

I was under the impression that consuming too much vitamin c could cause kidney stones or some similar problem.

Kidney stones are formed by a combination of oxalic acid and calcium. Too much calcium won’t cause those stones unless you ingest too much oxalic acid.

Musicat:

If so, Cecil needs to be notified immediately so that report can be brought up to date. Got some cites to help him?

Can’t do the research now. I have to prepare dinner shortly and watch the Bears, after spending the afternoon watching the Cubs win.

I forgot to mention that vitamin C is also beneficial for runners because it is an antioxidant. Running (and any exercise) creates free radicals, which antioxidants help reduce, but I later read a piece by Dr. Gabe Mirkin (no time to search) that runners don’t have to fear increasing free radicals since the body is able to attenuate this in those who exercise. Don’t recall the mechanism, however.

[barbitu8]

http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/6189.html

Since 1971, 21 placebo-controlled studies have tested whether 1 gram or more of vitamin C per day helps to prevent the common cold. These studies have not found any consistent evidence that vitamin C pills help to prevent colds. However, vitamin C reduced the severity of the symptoms of the common cold by an average of 23%. Vitamin C has antihistaminic properties that decrease swelling and secretions and make you feel better. (H Hemila. Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases 1994;26(1):1-6)

Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold - PubMed

REVIEWERS’ CONCLUSIONS: The failure of vitamin C supplementation to reduce the incidence of colds in the normal population indicates that routine mega-dose prophylaxis is not rationally justified for community use. But evidence shows that it could be justified in persons exposed to brief periods of severe physical exercise and/or cold environments. Also, the consistent and statistically significant small benefits on duration and severity for those using regular vitamin C prophylaxis indicates that vitamin C plays some role in respiratory defence mechanisms. The trials in which vitamin C was introduced at the onset of colds as therapy did not show any benefit in doses up to 4 grams daily, but one large trial reported equivocal benefit from an 8 gram therapeutic dose at onset of symptoms.