The Vitamin C Foundation For Release Monday, August 9, 2004 Contact: Owen Fonorow at (630) 416-1438
Another mistaken but widely distributed fabrication regarding vitamin C is that 5 servings of fruits and vegetables are sufficient to provide the 200 milligrams of vitamin C recommended by the Institutes of Medicine. In fact,
the most commonly consumed plant foods (iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, French fries, orange juice and onions) provide only about 110 milligrams of vitamin
C, which is the typical consumption level for American adults. Furthermore, the National Cancer Institute concedes five servings of plant foods have
not reduced the risk for cancer or heart disease and now recommend nine servings.
Among other commonly published falsehoods about vitamin C is the assertion that high-dose vitamin C causes kidney stones, that high-dose vitamin C induces iron overload, or that mega doses of vitamin C may cause DNA damage and increase the risk of cancer. These widely held beliefs and not backed by scientific investigation. [Science. 2001 Sep 14; 293:1993-5; Int J Vita
min Nutr Res 1999 Mar;69:67-82; J Am Society Nephrology 1999 Apr;10:840-5; Nutrition Reviews 1999 Mar;57:71-7; Clin Chem Laboratory Medicine. 1998 Mar;36:143-7; Annals Nutrition Metabolism. 1997;41:269-82]
P. O. Box 73172 Houston, Texas 77273
1-888-443-3634 Tollfree in USA 1-281-443-3634 EveryWhere
1-630-416-1309 Fax
Owen R. Fonorow, Co-founder
M. S. Till, Sr., Co-founder
Email: info@vitamincfoundation.org
Email: fonorow@internetwks.com
HOUSTON, TX- The Vitamin C Foundation released a list of the Top Ten Websites That Disseminate Misinformation About Vitamin C today. Topping the list
are websites hosted by prestigous organizations such as the National Library of Medicine's "Medline Plus," the National Institutes of Health, the Mayo
Clinic, Quackwatch, Consumerlab.com, WebMD and the Merck Manual.
The most often published misinformation about vitamin C is that mega-doses of this vitamin are washed away in the urine and produce nothing more than expensive urine. A recent study published by National Institutes of Health
researchers dispels this belief. High oral doses of vitamin C have now been demonstrated to produce three times higher concentation in the blood plasma than previously thought possible. [Annals Internal Medicine 2004 Apr 6
;140(7):533-7] Since 1996 the National Institutes of Health and the Institutes of Medicine have published spurious information that blood plasma saturation for vitamin C is achieved with a 200 milligram of oral dose and additional amounts are worthless.
Yet another widely held misconception disseminated by various health organizations is that the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA = 75 milligrams for
adult males, 90 milligrams for females and an additional 35 milligrams for smokers) is sufficient for 98 percent of the population. In fact, more than 4 in 10 Americans do not even consume the RDA levels of vitamin C. Furthermore, the RDA is misleading since it is established for healthy people only, not millions of Americans who have increased need for vitamin C (example
s are smokers, pregnant women, diabetics, athletes, users of aspirin, steroids, birth control pills or estrogen, anemic and hospitalized individuals).
A more detailed list of the misinformation about vitamin C that is published
by various health organizations can be found at www.vitamincfoundation.com.
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