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Does Acid Cause Free Radicals in Stomach

Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 7:19 am
by ofonorow
From the email

I've been using Heart Technology for nearly 6 months and really like it. I have a couple of questions:

1. I read something from a reputable health supplement company today that concerns me. Here's the quote:
"Of course, the manufacturers oblige by producing products with higher and higher doses. Now, in the case of Vitamin C you shouldn't take any more than 400mgs a day in ascorbic acid form unless you are sick. This is because excess ascorbic acid reacts with your stomach acid and will actually produce free radicals instead of 'absorbing' them.

High doses of Vitamin C should only be taken intravenously for serious illnesses."


I know Linus Pauling treated his illness with intravenous vitamin C. I's there any truth to the above statement?

2. Since Heart Technology gets rid of plaque in the heart/blood vessels, does it also remove plaque in the brain?

Thank you.


At first glance, the idea that vitamin C in excess of 400 mg creates free radicals in the stomach begs many questions. How did they determine the 400 mg number? Does the stomach pH matter? Is the "free radical" the ascorbate free radical or dehydroascorbic acid (DHA)? If DHA, this statement may be partially true, however, these "free radicals" are absorbed, and are not harmful. (DHA is able to pass through membranes easier than unoxidized ascorbic acid. DHA may be the reason why vitamin C can be absorbed into the blood stream through the stomach lining.)

You say this is a reputable manufacturer? Who is it, and where is this information published? We'd love to review any science behind this statement, but it sounds too contrived. The arbitrary 400 mg number is a dead giveaway.

Regarding #2, vitamin C does pass through the blood-brain barrier and in theory, would provide protection against strokes.

How vitamin C enters the brain

Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 9:07 am
by Ralph Lotz
Vitamin C concentrations in the brain exceed those in blood by 10-fold. In both tissues, the vitamin is present primarily in the reduced form, ascorbic acid. We identified the chemical form of vitamin C that readily crosses the blood-brain barrier, and the mechanism of this process. Ascorbic acid was not able to cross the blood-brain barrier in our studies. In contrast, the oxidized form of vitamin C, dehydroascorbic acid (oxidized ascorbic acid), readily entered the brain and was retained in the brain tissue in the form of ascorbic acid. Transport of dehydroascorbic acid into the brain was inhibited by d-glucose, but not by l-glucose. The facilitative glucose transporter, GLUT1, is expressed on endothelial cells at the blood-brain barrier, and is responsible for glucose entry into the brain. This study provides evidence showing that GLUT1 also transports dehydroascorbic acid into the brain. The findings define the transport of dehydroascorbic acid by GLUT1 as a mechanism by which the brain acquires vitamin C, and point to the oxidation of ascorbic acid as a potentially important regulatory step in accumulation of the vitamin by the brain. These results have implications for increasing antioxidant potential in the central nervous system. (J. Clin. Invest. 1997. 100:2842- 2848.)

http://www.jci.org/cgi/content/full/100/11/2842

Dehydroascorbic acid absorbtion

Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 12:58 am
by johnor
Hi,
A similar action with dehydroascorbic acid appears to occur with cancer cells.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/19 ... 074820.htm

John :D

Authors Identified

Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 7:16 am
by ofonorow
From the email

Hi Owen,

Thank you for posting my questions. I read the answers and appreciate the information. The company that generated the vit C quote is Xtendlife.com. (They have great fish oil.) The person who wrote the article that contained the quote is Warren Matthews. He usually sounds very knowledgeable. Unless you have any objections, I'd like to forward your response to him (minus your name). I think it's important that the correct information is disseminated.

Thanks again!

Molly P


Please use my name and encourage Warren Matthews to join and contribute to the forum. We are especially interested in any scientific basis to his statement.

Dehydroascorbic acid absorption

Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 2:52 pm
by Ralph Lotz
The connection between Glycemia and Cancer is documented by Ely.
http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/expert.htm#ELY

DHA competes with glucose for entry into cells. Cancer cells are insatiable consumers of glucose. If blood sugar levels are decreased and ascorbate levels are increased, more DHA gets into the cancer cells where they release hydrogen peroxide and kill the cancer cells.

The problem with the article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/19 ... 074820.htm is that it doesn't go far enough. It leaves people with the belief that vitamin C may be dangerous to people with cancer or that it interferes with orthodox cancer treatments.

The vitamin C danger to cancer patients is the danger of not using enough vitamin C.

Less than oral bowel tolerance amounts may indeed be dangerous without support nutrients.

Oral bowel tolerance amounts of ascorbate have induced remissions and extended life.

IV amounts of ascorbate, probably above 50 grams several times per week, accompanied by oral bowel tolerance amounts along with R-Lipoic acid and/or other synergists as contained in Dr. Rath's scientific discoveries may result in cures.

5 grams of Vitamin C Eradicated H.Pylori

Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 3:49 pm
by Ralph Lotz
Effects of high dose vitamin C treatment on Helicobacter pylori infection and total vitamin C concentration in gastric juice.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... med_docsum

H. Pylori causes stomach ulcers and is a risk factor for gastric cancers.

Dehydroascorbic acid

Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 9:40 pm
by johnor
Dear Ralph,
I appreciate your response to the sciencedaily.com article on Vitamin C. The site also has an article about the absorbtion of DHA into the brain. If the action of depositing Hydrogen Peroxide into the cancer cell occurs with DHA can you explain the chemistry of that to me? If there is a deposit of Hydrogen Peroxide in cancer cells why doesn't the same occur when it enters brain cells or other cells?

Thanks.
John :D

Dehydroascorbic acid

Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 9:56 am
by Ralph Lotz
If the action of depositing Hydrogen Peroxide into the cancer cell occurs with DHA can you explain the chemistry of that to me? If there is a deposit of Hydrogen Peroxide in cancer cells why doesn't the same occur when it enters brain cells or other cells?


"...healthy cells have a full complement of antioxidant enzymes to prevent the buildup of hydrogen peroxide. For example, red blood cells in blood prevent the formation of hydrogen peroxide. In tumours, where the catalase and other
antioxidant systems are deficient, hydrogen peroxide can accumulate and destroy sensitive cells."

Cancer, Nutrition and Survival, Hickey and Roberts, Copyright 2005, page 177