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When vitamins became popular in the United States, there was a sudden jump in the number of newly
born babies developing scurvy. It was thought that scurvy was a disease eradicated a long time ago. As
the mysterious development was investigated, it was discovered that the mothers of the affected babies
had taken extra vitamin C preparations (without C2) in the belief that it was good for their babies. Dosed
with the vitamin, the mothers’ bodies started eliminating more of it than they ingested. When the babies
were born they also continued removing whatever vitamin C they had received from the mother, because
this is what they had learned to do while in the womb. Since their baby food did not consist of large
amounts of vitamin C, they soon developed the dangerous baby scurvy.
The body of an adult, who consumes vitamin C regularly, may eventually produce a similar response.
He may even develop scurvy because the body becomes programmed to eliminate vitamin C faster and in
larger quantities than it is ingested or can be absorbed. Adults are known to develop further complications
when, after using this vitamin regularly, they suddenly stop taking it altogether. It is also known that large
doses of vitamin C can destroy another vitamin, that is, vitamin B12. There is too little research to tell
what further damage large amounts of vitamins can do to us but experimenting with these powerful
substances on the human body is similar to handling an explosive device.
A friend of mine developed a dangerous swelling of his kidneys after taking 2g of Vitamin C a day for
several weeks. By taking him off the vitamins and giving him tea made from the herb Pau d’Arco helped
remove the excessive vitamin from the kidneys and restore them to their normal size and efficiency.
Added to the current uncertainty and confusion about taking vitamins, there is still no conclusive proof
that vitamin C protects you from infection, which is one of the main reasons people use it.
Even if vitamin C were able to stop an infection, in many instances this could turn out to be disastrous
for the body. To prevent a cold from reaching its climax interferes with the body’s efforts of removing
accumulated toxins, and thus may become the first stage in a series of future illnesses. If the body is
“toxic” because of an unhealthy lifestyle, diet and stress, its most important primary response is to initiate
a toxicity crisis that permits the body to cleanse itself. A cold is not a disease, and it should not be treated
as one. It is very ill advised to stop the body from eliminating toxins and purifying itself.
Handing out vitamin C as a preventive measure against colds is a practice that may also be
counterproductive. Although small doses of vitamin C may successfully trigger a cleansing response in
the body, large amounts of vitamin C can interfere with an ongoing, and possibly life-saving cleansing
process. The often-cited argument that all water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and B, are harmless
because the body can easily eliminate excessive amounts without a problem is pseudo-science and
misleading. Cyanide is also water-soluble, but it can kill a person.
The 2004 November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that according to
new research older women with diabetes who take high doses of vitamin C for the sake of their hearts
may be doing themselves more harm than good. The study, which followed nearly 2,000 postmenopausal
women with diabetes for 15 years, found that those who took heavy doses of vitamin C supplements—
300 milligrams (mg) a day or more—were nearly twice as likely to die of heart disease or stroke
compared with women who took no supplemental C. Interestingly, high intakes of vitamin C from food
were not related to a greater risk of death from cardiovascular causes.
The researchers of the study suggest that taking supplements to correct the lower blood levels of
vitamin C commonly seen in diabetes is not necessarily the right choice. And although the research
focused on older women, the findings may apply to men as well, according to the study's senior author.
"Our results, if confirmed by other research, would suggest that diabetics should be more cautious than
others about taking supplements," Dr. David R. Jacobs Jr., of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis,
told Reuters Health.