Vitamin C –
The Secret Nutrient
How could vitamin C be a secret? Everybody knows people need
it to stay alive and healthy. For example, most people are
aware of its role in preventing scurvy. Sailors on long, ocean-going
voyages commonly got scurvy, a disease characterized by spongy
gums, loosened teeth and bleeding into the tissues, from the
lack of fresh fruits and vegetables - thus the slur, “scurvy
knave!” Factoid side note: in 1795 the British Navy
began issuing limes, which are full of vitamin C, to its sailors
for this very reason. Brits are called “Limeys,”
right?
However, here is the secret that drug companies hope the
general populace never finds out. Vitamin C can do far more
than merely keeping humans from bruising easily and having
bleeding gums, loose teeth, poor immune systems, difficulty
healing and mild anemia.
It turns out that vitamin C is not just one of the least
toxic substances that exist, but in fact it should actually
be its very own food group, right up there with proteins,
fats, and carbohydrates. It’s water soluble and is essential
for life. Vitamin C is far less dangerous than common table
salt and is about as necessary for true health as water.
It’s all a matter of dosage. Some researchers have
criticized dosages recommended by government agencies because
they don’t take weight and age differences into account
and because they only represent the amount needed to prevent
acute forms of vitamin deficiency disease instead of either
lower levels of the disease or the amounts needed to prevent
other diseases. Nor do they address amounts needed for optimal
health, as they are solely based on levels that are slightly
above malnourishment. Because most people are content with
the guidelines of the governmental agencies, the benefits
of much higher doses are rarely considered.
Most animals make as much vitamin C right in their own bodies
as they need in order to have immune systems and self-healing
abilities people can only envy. Why can’t humans do
the same thing? Millions of years ago, the ancestors of modern
homo-sapiens had an evolutionary hiccup. They lost the ability
to manufacture vitamin C in their own bodies, so they started
needing to get it from the food they eat.
This was fine until the ice age made it difficult to get
vitamin C all year round. Evolution compensated by allowing
humans to patch up fragile blood vessels (remember that vitamin
C prevents bruising) with cholesterol. When summer came along,
and vitamin C was plentiful, the cholesterol patches on the
blood vessels dissolved. The hardening arteries softened right
up again.
Alas, the “modern” diet of humankind today makes
the caveman’s diet look like the heights of good nutrition.
Usually people don’t get nearly enough vitamin C to
dissolve arterial plaque, also called arteriosclerosis. Nor
do they get enough vitamin C for their bodies and immune systems
to really engage in rebuilding themselves from the inside
out. As a result, people get degenerative diseases and age
before they really need to.
Why hasn’t this been in the news? It’s simple.
Vitamin C is incredibly inexpensive. Put another way, promoting
it is not lucrative. For example, a heart attack is worth
tens of thousands of dollars to the health care system, but
heart attacks can often be avoided by a daily intake of vitamin
C that adds up to mere tens of dollars. There’s just
no money to be made by selling preventive over the counter
vitamin C compared to selling expensive prescription heart
medications.
This example focuses on heart disease, but vitamin C has
far broader “healing” powers. It is a safe way
to treat viral diseases and works very effectively against
poisoning. There is certainly evidence that it is useful in
preventing lead poisoning. There is a high probability that
it prevents the formation of cataracts. Most people are aware
that it helps with colds and flu. And there is a growing body
of evidence of its toxicity to cancer cells in high, intravenous
doses.
It is almost impossible to get enough vitamin C for optimum
health from diet alone. Many more details can be found by
using an internet search engine and searching for “Linus
Pauling” and “Vitamin C.”
How much vitamin C should be taken daily? Authorities vary
widely in their recommendations, but a good benchmark is something
called “Bowel Tolerance.” This simply means taking
as much vitamin C as possible before starting to experience
stool looseness. For most people, this is about 6,000 to 12,000
mg per day. It’s helpful to take vitamin C several times
throughout the day instead of all at once because the body
flushes it out very quickly.
Live long and prosper – with the help of a generous
amount of vitamin C.
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Author: Eric Choong
Please visit my website at: http://www.health-beauty-care.com
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