Vitamin C - fact or fiction

I have been taking 2000 mg of vitamin C a day for quite a while not, and have not had any colds or flu. A few days ago I ran out of vitamin C. 2 days later I came down with a cold.

Just a coincidence? - you be the judge.

isnt 2000mg a lot? i heard that an overdose of vitamin C is bad for you. anyone heard of that too?

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verbie said:
isnt 2000mg a lot? i heard that an overdose of vitamin C is bad for you. anyone heard of that too?

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I have heard that too, but I think the kind you take also matters.

there are different kinds of vitamin C?

Me and my wife take's vitamin C 1000mg daily but we've noticed that both of us got a swelling ankle and a back pain which I'm thinking that it's just normal for aging people. But until recenly, when I have read from a health magazine saying too much vitamin C can trigger arthritis because it's a pro iron vitamin. It usually increases the absorption of iron in the food that we eat.Mind you, we usually consume 30ml of Ben Gay a week just to combat that darn back pain that we are not aware why /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif.Since then we just take 75mg only which is the normal RDA for adults.

OK... Something i DO know about. I happen to be a distributor BUT i don't distibute to anyone other than myself. (price break)

The RDA is 60-1000mg with 2000mg being the UL (upper limit) There are many basic vitamins that are easy to overdose with when using vitamin supplements.

One of this vitamin's main functions is helping the body manufacture collagen, a key protein in our connective tissues, cartilage and tendons. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals. Citrus fruits are well known for providing ample amounts of vitamin C. But they also supply bioflavonoids, substances that are not required for life but that may improve health.

Large doses are considered to be toxic in persons with a family history of or tendency to form kidney stones or gallbladder stones. These stones usually consist of calcium oxalate. Oxalate occurs in high concentrations of foods such as cocoa, chocolate, rhubarb and spinach. A fraction of the vitamin C in the body is normally broken down by the body to produce oxalate. A daily supplement of 3.0 grams of vitamin C has been found to double the level of oxalate that passes through the kidneys and is excreted into the urine. One great advantage of getting vitamin C from foods rather than from supplement is that you will get many other healthy nutrients at the same time, such as biofavonoids and carotenes. However vitamin C in foods is partially destroyed by cooking and exposure to air, so for maximum nutritional benefit you might want to try freshly made salads rather than dishes that require a lot of cooking.
Most of us think that orange juice is the quintessential source of vitamin C but many vegetables are actually even richer sources. Red chili peppers, sweet peppers, kale, parsley, collard and turnip greens are excellent sources. as are broccoli, brussel sprouts, watercress, cauliflower, cabbage, sour kraut and strawberries. Oranges and other citrus fruit are good too.

I have a lot of info on pretty much every vitamin. If anyone is curious about a specific kind (not brand) just ask.

This brings to mind Linus Pauling. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_C

I take 500 mg daily; YMMV. I found that 2,000 mg daily tended to be too much... it gave me the runs.

i will add that vitamin c is very safe, with very little risk of true toxicity.

the runs (and a possible long-term risk of stones) is about all you have to worry about.

and, yes, i take a multivitamin with 60mg, and add 500-1000mg of vit c.

i do believe in it's benefits...and Pauling does make some good points!

Bob

Fact about the "common" cold... there are some 50 million "variants" of it. If you've had one variant of it, you won't get that one again because your body builds up the antibodies and an ammunity to that one when you get it. Regardless of what meds/vitamins you take, if you come across one of the variants that you haven't had, chances are real good that you're gonna get it. So take your daily doses of the RDA and leave it at that. The side effects of vitamin overdoses can be worse than any cold you'll ever run across... ask those who have had kidney stones and gall stones which they would rather have... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

I've had kidney stones 3 times so far. The 1st time was by far the worst. If there is someone you dislike, wish kidney stones on them /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Trust me, it's that bad!

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LEDMANIA said:
Me and my wife take's vitamin C 1000mg daily but we've noticed that both of us got a swelling ankle and a back pain which I'm thinking that it's just normal for aging people. But until recenly, when I have read from a health magazine saying too much vitamin C can trigger arthritis because it's a pro iron vitamin. It usually increases the absorption of iron in the food that we eat.Mind you, we usually consume 30ml of Ben Gay a week just to combat that darn back pain that we are not aware why /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif.Since then we just take 75mg only which is the normal RDA for adults.

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Hum... Maybe that explains why my spine is killing me when I wake up in the morning. I'll try not taking the C suppliment for a while and see if it goes away.

You cannot take just C in large doses for extended periods of time without some knowledge of the effects, and other things that you need to take or supplement. The same holds true for just about any supplement you want to take at more than the RDA. You need to do some reading and study on it. There is plenty of info out there, weigh the positives against what it's going to do to you and decide if it's worth what you're going to have to suffer through later /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif It's almost certainly safe to take that much for a short time if you think it will help you with a cold (but I think the theory of mega doses of it to treat a cold have been pretty much disproven, but thats just from memory I didn't look it up again)

The guy around here to talk to is Milkyspit. He's got a great fund of knowledge about this sort of thing. perhaps he'll pipe up with some more info for you.

I would certainly not just suggest that you go out and get the biggest pills they have at the local pharmacy and take them long term without doing a lot of reading.

More does not mean better ...... more vitamins are not better, more medications are not better. Just because it's a vitamin doesn't mean you can safely take large doses and continue to do so for prolonged periods of time.

Everything you put into your body reacts with everything else you put in there. There is a consequence for everything you ingest, inject, inhale or otherwise put in there. Now, the consequence might be minor and go un-noticed, or it could be major in which case the consequences could be severe. The consequences could be cummalative, and sneak up and bite you years later. They may or may not be irreversible.

You also have to factor in your fitness level, age, pre-existing conditions, family medical history that may indicate what your predisposition to certain diseases are, not to mention the stuff that you have no idea what's going on at the moment.

No doubt the human body is a complicated machine. Experiment on it with caution as it's the only one you get.

Gosh, I take these vitamins (scroll down to bottom for list of ingredients) to hopefully help prevent my crappy vision from gettin worse. They contain 1500mg of vitamin C. I hope I am not overdoing it. I wonder if the type of C makes a difference? This form is ester-C. They also contain mega doses of other vitamins as well. Some times I consider halving the dosage and then possibly supplementing with an eye healthy blend such as Lutein and Bilberry without anything else.

I haven't noticed any side effects other then the urine being constantly yellow from I assume passing along unused vitamin B but I certainly don't wish to experience kidney stones.

While we are on the subject are there any web sites that have correct, solid info on what vitamins effects are?

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Tree said:
While we are on the subject are there any web sites that have correct, solid info on what vitamins effects are?

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WebMD is supposedly a good source of general medical information, though I have no way to verify that.

I was a paying member of ConsumerLabs for a year. They are the only website I 'trust' for up to date info on vitamins. Since vitamins are not regulated and there are many marketing tactics to influence you that may not be in your best interest.

GEEPONDY: NSI makes really high quality vitamins (from the extensive research I've done) But I have found them to consistantly have doses above the UL, not just RDA. I would have to consult my chart for you, which I will do when I get home.

And yes it probably depends on many factors such as weight, age and lifestyle or exercise.

Thanks Cromagnet. I appreciate you consulting your chart. Although of course I want to get adequate amounts of all vitamins, I mainly am interesting in anything that might help maintain/improve vision. The NSI product came up quite a bit when doing research.

geepondy: Here are a few things to look into if you take all SIX pills every day.

- The Vitamin A UL is 10,000 IU however taken as natural carotenoids beta carotene, alpha carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, cryptoxanthin is safer since it is transformed to Vitamin A as your body needs it.
- Folic Acid from supplements and fortified foods like cereal, is absorbed twice as well as that from regular foods. High doses over time can cause many maladies including kidney damage. Also of concern, particularly in the elderly is that it can mask the early anemia of B-12 deficiency. (which untreated can lead to irreversible nerve damage) When taking more than 400mcg daily, it is important to get your B12 level checked.

As for the rest they look pretty much in line (if a little high) with what I have learned. As well as some possible redundancies.

* If anyone is interested, I have an 8 or 9 page set of notes that shows the vitamins' roles, toxic levels and effects as well as what foods are rich in each. I can fax or email a PDF, just send me a PM /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif