You may have read some negative articles about vitamin C and its role in health and cancer. One of the articles was entitled “How Vitamin C May Hinder Cures”, from a local newspaper in California, based on Dr. Goldes’ presentation to the American Cancer Society. He implied that vitamin C was harmful during cancer treatment, stating that lab experiments showed vitamin C made tumor cells resistant to radiation. Unfortunately, the article did not cite any specific scientific references. Three MD’s and one Ph.D. could not find any such references in the medical literature. In fact, they did find eleven articles, which demonstrated the usefulness of vitamin C alone or in combination with chemotherapy or radiation in treatment of cancer. There were at least twenty-one articles that demonstrated vitamin C was toxic to tumor cells in both animal and human studies.
Vitamin C can act as a pro-oxidant agent, which means it can enhance the production of damaging free radicals. This may well be one of the qualities of vitamin C which assisted in damaging tumor cells. Vitamin C helps in the body’s production of free radical molecules that attack the cancer cells. An enzyme called catalase is present in normal cells preventing any damage from Vitamin C. Catalase is deficient in tumor cells which could be the reason Vitamin C affects cancer cells damaging them with enhanced free radical activity.
While any nutrient used in excess and/ or with low amounts of other nutrients, may cause an imbalance and deficiency of the other nutrients, generally speaking, the application of vitamin C, even in large amounts on an ongoing basis, is beneficial. Dr. Linus Pauling, two times a Nobel Laureate and researcher and proponent of vitamin C, took up to 60,000 milligrams on a daily basis in his later years. He lived to his mid nineties.
An article in a 1998 issue of the Journal of American College of Cardiology, concerning vitamin C’s effect on improving the dilation of blood vessels, concluded, that indeed vitamin C did restore blood vessels potential to dilate. The lining of the blood vessels (called endothelium) produces nitric oxide, which results in the dilation of the arteries. This is why nitroglycerin is used to enhance vessel dilation in people with heart disease. Oxygen derived free radicals damage nitric oxide, making it incapable of stimulating dilation. Vitamin C prevents this damage and restores nitric oxide’s ability to dilate blood vessels. Perhaps the increase in the ability of vessels to dilate is another action of Vitamin C bringing more oxygen to the body’s tissues adversely affecting cancer cells. All the modes of action of Vitamin C are not scientifically understood as yet but clinical observation in our clinic indicated Vitamin C is very helpful in support of cancer patients’ health.
Dr. Conrad Maulfair, Jr.
Osteopathic Physician
Maulfair Medical Center
5925 Tilghman St, Suite 90
Allentown, PA 18104
(in the Green Hills Commerce Center) 800-733-4065 610-682-2104 dr.maulfair.com
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