Re: Vitamin C Fights Stress

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Vitamin C Fights Stress

A new study by a scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville shows

how large doses of vitamin C can prevent illness by alleviating the body's

normal

response to stress.

The study tested the effects of vitamin C on adrenal function, said P.

, Ph.D., chairman of the university's department of biological

sciences. The adrenal gland reacts to stress by releasing corticoids, such as

corticosterone and cortisol. These and other hormones trigger the " fight or

flight " reaction that allows us to spring into action when in danger. They

also suppress the immune system, the body's first line of defense against

disease.

In addition, the vitamin C treatment elevated the levels of circulating IgG

antibody, the body's principal defense against systemic infection, he said.

Paradoxically, the vitamin C treatment may work by suppressing production

and/or utilization of the vitamin C that naturally exists in the adrenal

cortex, noted. This endogenous vitamin C appears to support the

production of stress hormones, he said. said his results help explain

other evidence of the value of vitamin C in protecting immune function. For

example, according to reports in the

medical literature, vitamin C boosted immune function in a test group of

elderly

women. It also reduced the incidence of stress-related upper-respiratory

infections in marathon runners.

Recommending a sharper look at the present RDA, said he believes

that

our prehistoric ancestors probably consumed large amounts of vitamin C in a

tropical diet rich in fruits. " If so, the physiological constitution we have

inherited may require doses far larger than the present RDA to keep us

healthy

under varying environmental conditions, including stress. "

(From the American Chemical Society)

Liz H.

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