Vitamin C

Overview

Vitamin C (ascorbate, ascorbic acid) is a major water-soluble antioxidant that also increases

extracellular collagen production and is important for proper immune cell functioning

History

In 1972, extending this theory, Ewan Cameron, a Scottish surgeon, hypothesized that ascorbate

(active ingredient in vitamin C) could suppress cancer development by inhibiting hyaluronidase,

which otherwise weakens the extracellular matrix and enables cancer to metastasize. He began

treating terminally ill cancer patients and published a case report of 50 patients in which some of

the treated patients benefited from high dose vitamin C.

 

Encouraged by the result, Cameron teamed up with Linus Pauling, a world-renowned chemist

and two-time Nobel Prize Laureate, to conduct clinical trials involving terminal cancer patients.

In 1976, they published a study of 100 patients with terminal cancer treated with ascorbate. The

results demonstrated that patients treated with vitamin C had improved quality of life and a four-

fold increase in their mean survival time. In a follow up study, Cameron and Pauling reported

that 22% of vitamin C-treated cancer patients survived for more than one year compared to only

0.4% of control patients.

 

Over the past decade, there have been an increased number of phase I/II clinical trials and case

reports testing the safety and efficacy of high dose vitamin C as a treatment for various cancer

patients as a monotherapy or in combinational therapy. Virtually all studies show improved

quality of life for cancer patients by minimizing pain and protecting normal tissues from toxicity

caused by chemotherapy. Additionally, vitamin C showed synergistic effects when combined

with radiation and standard chemotherapies.

Indications & Dosage

Studies show that high doses of vitamin C help immune function, reduce inflammation, are essential for wound healing, induce apoptosis, inhibit new blood vessel formation in tumors (anti-angiogenesis), are toxic to cancer cells, and improve quality of life. 

 

Treatment time: 

Vitamin C in lower doses (Myers Classic) can be given as a push, in higher doses (50-75 grams) between 2-3 hours

 

Frequency: can be administered up to 2-3 times per week

Safety

Special Precautions & Warnings: People that have G6PD deficiency, also known as Favism,

should not receive IV high dose Vitamin C because it can cause hemolytic anemia. Favism most

commonly affects people of African, Middle Eastern and South Asian descent. Testing for G6PD

deficiency is recommended prior to iv administration. Patients with a tendency to develop kidney stones or have impaired kidney function (stage 4 chronic kidney disease) or hemochromatosis should not be treated with high-dose vitamin C. Patients on blood thinners should not be treated with high-dose vitamin C

 

Interactions

Blood thinners

 

Side effects

 

High doses of intravenous vitamin C are generally well tolerated. Most common adverse effects are irritation at the infusion site and being chilled during the infusion. Other minor side effects (dry mouth, nausea, queasiness, swelling of fingers) and not long lasting. Adding alpha lipoic acid orally helps to prevent these adverse symptoms.  

 

References:

https://riordanclinic.org/research-study/vitamin-c-research-ivc-protocol/

https://www.cancer.gov/research/key-initiatives/ras/ras-central/blog/2020/yun-cantley-vitamin-cn production and is important for proper immune cell functioning