Vitamin C Study

Position Statement from Cooper Aerobics Center

Topic: A news story released June 8, 2001, indicated that a new study found that vitamin C could cause DNA damage. The report was based on a study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania by Dr. Ian Blair, which was published in the journal Science.

Dr. Kenneth Cooper and colleagues respond to this claim with the following comments:

• The recent study by chemist Dr. Ian Blair has not changed Dr. Cooper's stance on his vitamin C recommendations, which is 500 mg of vitamin C, twice daily.
  
  
• The study was a test tube experiment, not conducted in cell cultures, animals or humans. Therefore, we cannot extrapolate these results to mean that large doses of vitamin C are harmful in humans.
  
  
• The study looked at the effects of vitamin C on lipid hydroperoxide, a compound found in the body, which can be converted into substances that can cause DNA damage.
  
  
• It was reported that, "just because you damage DNA doesn't mean you'll get cancer. The cells in the body have an exquisite repair mechanism for lesions (injury) in the DNA."
  
  
• One study using a basic test tube experiment cannot refute the mass of scientific literature that upholds the benefits of vitamin C.

Iswarlal Jialal, M.D., Ph.D., Distinguished Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and chairman of the subcommittee on vitamin C for the Institute of Medicine, had these comments:

• The Institute of Medicine has established a safe upper limit for vitamin C at 2,000 milligrams a day. The current recommended daily allowance for vitamin C (75 milligrams for women, 90 milligrams for men, and 120 milligrams for smokers) merely protects us from deficiency. There are many studies supporting the benefits of vitamin C taken in supplement form at higher levels.
  
  
• There are many studies that provide evidence to support the benefits of vitamin C taken in a supplement form.
• A dose of 500 to 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day can help to prevent the early stages of plaque formation on the artery walls.
• Vitamin C has been shown to reduce frequency of cataracts up to 77 percent when taking 1,000 milligrams a day.
• Vitamin C (1000 mg) coupled with 1000 IU of vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol) taken in conjunction with a 900 - calorie meal containing 50 grams of fat blocked the detrimental effects of a fatty meal on blood circulation.