Vit C

[Guest guest]

Vitamin C Found To Promote

Cancer-Causing Agents

By Will Dunham

6-15-1

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vitamin C, an essential nutrient found in fruits and

vegetables and taken in large doses by many people as a dietary supplement,

is a double-edged sword, providing benefits but also inducing the production

of compounds associated with cancer, researchers said on Thursday.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania added vitamin C, also known as

ascorbic acid, to solutions of a degraded version of an important fatty acid

found in blood, and found that it triggered the production of DNA-damaging

agents known to cause mutations associated with a variety of cancers.

Lead researcher Ian Blair of the university's Center for Cancer Pharmacology

cautioned that the study was conducted in a test tube and not with living

human cells or in actual people.

" Absolutely for God's sake don't say vitamin C causes cancer, " Blair said in

a telephone interview.

" The key finding is that vitamin C can do good things and bad things. And

we've figured out what the bad ones are. In terms of the impact, I think it

just redirects people's attention to the fact that you can't replace a good

diet with magic bullets such as vitamin C. "

The value of vitamin C has been the subject of a long and heated debate in

the scientific community. One of the leading scientists of the 20th century,

Linus ing, who died at age 93 in 1994, championed it as a tool for

fighting cancer.

But skeptics argued that numerous studies have found that vitamin C produced

no benefit in combating cancer, and that taking supplements actually could

have negative consequences. The new study appears to add weight to those

concerns.

CAUTION URGED ON DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS

" Far more caution should be taken in the use of dietary supplements -- and

an insistence on real proof that there's a benefit before undertaking any of

them, " said Dr. Arthur Grollman, director of the Laboratory for Chemical

Biology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

" The real, serious implication is that it (vitamin C) could contribute to

DNA damage that could cause cancer, " added Grollman, an expert in cancer

causes who was not involved in the study. " It just adds more evidence that

there could be a significant risk to ascorbic acid. "

Blair said the study, which appears in the journal Science, may explain why

vitamin C has shown little effectiveness at preventing cancer in clinical

trials.

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is important for bone and

connective tissue growth, wound repair and the function of blood vessels. It

is abundant in citrus fruits, green peppers, tomatoes, cabbage and potatoes.

The recommended U.S. adult dietary allowance for vitamin C is 60 milligrams

daily. Most supplements contain many times that amount.

Dr. Garret FitzGerald, director of the University of Pennsylvania's Center

for Experimental Therapeutics, pointed to evidence of a benefit from an

overall healthy diet rather than taking supplements on any particular

nutrient.

" We have very clear evidence that eating a diet rich in vegetables and

fruits is a healthy thing in terms of it being associated with a reduced

incidence of cancer and, indeed, heart disease, for that matter, " FitzGerald

said.

" On the one hand, I would say to people there's no evidence to stop taking

vitamin C on the basis of these observations at this point in time. On the

other hand, I'd say consider very carefully what the evidence is for taking

vitamin C, which is nonexistent. The better part of valor is: save your

money. "

VITAMIN C IS AN ANTIOXIDANT

Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant protecting against damage by " free

radicals " -- highly reactive ions produced by the breakdown of oxygen in

cells. In addition to damaging DNA directly, free radicals also can act

indirectly.

They begin by converting linoleic acid, the major polyunsaturated fatty acid

in human blood plasma and the key polyunsaturated fatty acid in certain

cooking oils, into another compound called a lipid hydroperoxide.

When certain metal ions are present as catalysts, the compound degrades into

DNA-damaging agents called genotoxins, which cause mutations that have been

found in human tumors.

Blair said he had a hunch that vitamin C might be capable of changing lipid

hydroperoxides into genotoxins. He added vitamin C to test tube solutions of

lipid hydroperoxides, using concentrations comparable to those found in the

human body if a person were taking 200 milligrams a day.

The study found that vitamin C was more than twice as efficient as

transition metal ions at inducing the formation of genotoxins, including a

particularly potent variety.

Re: LIVER HELP NEEDED

> Jeff

> Everything needed is available at your nearest health food store and drug

> store.

>

> Corny

>

> On Fri, 15 Jun 2001 17:18:13 -0700 " Jeff Laymon " <jlaymon@...>

> writes:

> >

> > My wife's in need of a liver cleanse treatment. I've seen a list of

> > all

> > the ingredients needed. Can someone steer me in the right

> > direction for a convenient online source for all of them.

> >

> > I have Dr. Saul's book which lists the various components needed.

> >

> > Thanks in advance,

> >

> >

> > Jeff from Modesto

> >

> > OxyPLUS is an unmoderated e-ring dealing with oxidative therapies,

> > and other alternative self-help subjects.

> >

> > THERE IS NO MEDICAL ADVICE HERE!

> >

> > This list is the 1st Amendment in action. The things you will find

> > here are for information and research purposes only. We are people

> > sharing information we believe in. If you act on ideas found here,

> > you do so at your own risk. Self-help requires intelligence, common

> > sense, and the ability to take responsibility for your own actions.

> > By joining the list you agree to hold yourself FULLY responsible FOR

> > yourself. Do not use any ideas found here without consulting a

> > medical professional, unless you are a researcher or health care

> > provider.

> >

> > You can unsubscribe via e-mail by sending A NEW e-mail to the

> > following address - NOT TO THE OXYPLUS LIST! -

> > DO NOT USE REPLY BUTTON & DO NOT PUT THIS IN THE SUBJECT LINE or

> > BODY of the message! :

> >

> > oxyplus-unsubscribeegroups

> >

> > oxyplus-normalonelist - switch your subscription to normal

> > mode.

> >

> >