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The current recommended dietary intake for vitamin C is 90 mg per day for men and 75 mg per day for
women. While vitamin C is clearly necessary for good health, studies have garnered conflicting results on
whether supplements help lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. According to Jacobs, vitamin C has
been shown, in the test tube, to damage cell proteins in the same manner that high blood sugar harms
diabetics' body cells. Jacobs also pointed to the complexity of the "antioxidant defense system." When
antioxidants interact with free radicals, he explained, they become "pro-oxidants" that must be detoxified
by other antioxidants. “It's possible,” Jacobs speculated, “that this detox process happens more slowly in
diabetics—both women and men—and that under certain circumstances, the altered vitamin C molecules
are able to harm body cells.” Jacobs said he and his colleagues favor getting vitamin C, along with the full
complement of nutrients, from food rather than supplements. One ounce of chia seeds, for example, can
supply you with six times the amount of vitamin C that several oranges can give you.
Whereas antioxidants in food may be “balanced bio-chemically,” Jacobs and his team write, any
vitamin pill would lack such balance. Taking high doses of a single antioxidant, they speculate, may
"perturb" the body's balance of antioxidants and pro-oxidants. These findings support other research,
showing that high daily doses of another antioxidant, vitamin E, may not extend life, and instead may
slightly raise the risk of dying earlier.
It is important to understand that the body cannot live without free radicals. It uses the chain reaction
of the free radicals to turn air and food into chemical energy. Free radicals also play an essential role in
every immune response, attacking and destroying foreign invaders and bacteria. Using antioxidants, such
as vitamin C, to eliminate or reduce free radicals, might actually cause more serious harm than having too
many of them in the body. A study published in the August 10, 2007 issue of the journal Cell reveals that
an overload of antioxidants could actually lead to heart failure.
As has happened so many times before, both medical and nutritional science continue to underestimate
the innate wisdom of the body. Their isolationistic approaches to understanding and treating the human
body are based on a little knowledge of how the body works, while dismissing its innate wisdom and
thereby endangering its life. Provided you supply the body with wholesome, natural foods and avoid or
significantly reduce your intake of processed foods, which are loaded with artificial chemicals, it will
automatically self-regulate free radical activity and all other processes. To avoid imbalance in one way or
the other, you should obtain your antioxidants only from one source—food, including, fruits, vegetables,
grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, teas, etc.
It is not entirely clear, whether natural forms of vitamin E are harmful. I strongly suspect that the
harmful side effects from vitamin E are due to taking it in synthetic form. There are numerous people who
claim to have greatly benefited from vitamin E. The problem is that the general population is not made
aware of this important distinction. In fact, most people use the synthetic form, which can risk their
health.
On a different note, you may be surprised to know that China is actually one of the largest exporters of
many drugs and vitamins. About 90 percent of all Vitamin C sold in the United States is from China.
China also produces 50 percent of the world's aspirin and 35 percent of all Tylenol. The same is true for
the majority of Vitamins A, B12 and E. Since there are no safety regulations and only minimal
inspections for these products, you can never quite know what you will get. The pet food and toy scandals
and reported instances of toxic food and toothpaste from China have shown that we need to be cautious
about foods and supplements that originate from places we know nothing about.