Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) update at AAN meeting

[Guest guest]

(From a summary of news reported at the American Academy of

Neurology Annual Meeting, April 28-May 4 in Boston.)

High-dose ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was neither well tolerated nor

effective in a small study of adults with type CMT 1A. Out of 12 CMT

patients who took 5 grams per day of ascorbic acid, six tolerated

the treatment for the one-year study period, while five needed to

reduce the dose because of gastrointestinal side effects; two of

those five later discontinued treatment because side effects

continued. One additional participant stopped the medication because

of general malaise. No significant differences in clinical or

electrophysiological measurements between baseline and final

evaluations were detected in any of the participants.

http://www.mdausa.org/research/070511final_aan_report.html

Among the hundreds of presentations were dozens related to

neuromuscular disorders in MDA's program. Many of the findings

resulted from MDA research funding and/or the contributions of MDA

clinic physicians.