Vitamin C does far more than preventing scurvy

Scurvy results from vitamin C deficiency. It can lead to loss of teeth, spontaneous bleeding, exhaustion, and pain in the legs. It’s been known since ancient Greek and Egyptian times, though I’ve actually never met anyone with scurvy.

You can get scurvy if you don’t eat fruit and vegetables for about a month. This happened often to sailors in the 15th to 18th centuries during long sea voyages. As many as half the crew would die from scurvy. More than from storms, shipwrecks, war, or giant sea creatures combined.

In 1753 a Scottish physician published the results of his experiments in the navy showing that citrus fruit could treat this disease in a few weeks. Simply drinking fresh lime juice routinely would be enough. You don’t need much. That’s how the British became referred to as “limey.”

Since then, we’ve isolated the nutrient that was missing as a single chemical substance. This was named ascorbic acid, which literally means “no scurvy” in Latin. In 1920 it was called vitamin C. Because our body is unable to produce it, we must get it as part of our nutritional intake. That makes it an essential nutrient.

Our body needs Vitamin C to build collagen. This is important for the connective tissues that provide support and structure in our body and blood vessels. This is what keeps your gums healthy enough to hold your teeth in and helps you heal wounds. Maybe that’s why pirates looked so beat up all the time – they didn’t eat their fruits and vegetables.

Scurvy is pretty rare these days, unless you live in a war or famine zone. You only need 25 to 90 mg of ascorbic acid a day to prevent this disease. A single orange provides about 70 mg. That is close to the official recommendations.

But the benefits of ascorbic acid go well beyond preventing scurvy. It is involved in the production of norepinehprine, a neurotransmitter that mobilizes the brain and body for action. Vitamin C is involved in protein metabolism. There is some evidence showing it slows macular degeneration and cataracts. It also is revealing potential to increase resistance to heart disease by preventing plaque buildup.

It’s commonly thought that ascorbic acid can be supportive against oxidative stress when we are getting a cold or the flu. Though the studies on this are still not consistent and controversial. Vitamin C does appear to act as a natural antihistamine which could help with allergies.

It is considered an antioxidant and has been shown to regenerate other antioxidants, including vitamin E. This has been giving rise to research looking at preventing or delaying certain cancers, particularly at very high doses administered through IV. One theory here is that cancer cells are gluttons for ascorbic acid and start to break down after absorbing too much.

I see recommendations ranging from 2,000 to 6,000 mg daily, even higher in some material. One study showed that 8,000 mg shortened colds by 19 percent. But I also read that 200 to 500 mg is sufficient as the body’s tissues become saturated at this point. Absorption rapidly decreases as you get past 200 mg.

There are some claims that since ascorbic acid is water soluble any excess is harmlessly eliminated from the body. Certainly you could get diarrhea from too much. Buffered and liposomal forms are more absorbable and can help you avoid that. You can also take it with flavonoids to enhance effectiveness.

Yet, too much of a good thing is not always best, excess ascorbic acid can cause damage. It has to combine with a mineral in order to be excreted. This depletes important nutrients. Excess can potentially contribute to increased oxidative damage, raising cholesterol, and will convert iron to a form that leads to hardening of arteries.

Take enough, but not too much, and spread it throughout the day. Overall it seems easiest to get most your vitamin C from food, then supplement with a small amount daily, and take higher doses in short duration when needing additional support. Come on down if you’d like to talk more.

Scott Porter, a functional medicine pharmacist, is the director of the Center for Functional Nutrition at Sandpoint Super Drug.