sustained levels of ascorbic acid toxic to cells?

[FishermansWife]

So can someone explain this to me. I'm guessing this if referring to ivc for long periods of time? Or is it just false info.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/8744863/

[davids1]

Hi Katie,

Two points: 1) The study was done "in vitro" [vs. "in vivo"], and therefore probably has little to no relation to what takes place when ascorbate is ingested, e.g. the animals all produce their own ascorbic acid daily in multi-gram doses; and 2) Since "Dihydro-ascorbate was much less toxic or suppressive" who is to say just how the body utilizes the ascorbate, e.g. using it as ascorbate where needed, and dehydroascorbate where needed.

Frankly, my view, Katie, is that this is just the typical fear-mongering that has been going on for decades where ascorbate [and orthomolecular substances in general] is/are concerned. They are not patentable, and therefore not good for big-pharma's [and big-medicine's] bottom-line!

As just two examples: 1) If they are talking oral consumption, I am a good example of what "sustained megadoses of ascorbate" can do for one's health; and 2) The following example reported by Dr. Irwin Stone shows the virtually "miraculous" results possible from sustained "megadoses" of intravenous ascorbate in the case of cancer:

"In my 1983 paper, presented at the Orthomolecular Medical Society meeting in San Francisco, I reported on the remarkable case of Joseph Kieninger, chemist and patent attorney, terminal cancer victim turned successful therapist. Joe is a prostatic cancer victim, whose cancer has spread throughout his body. He was declared terminal in 1977 and given about one year to live. By his innovative daily treatments, both systemic (beginning with 80 to 100 grams sodium ascorbate a day, every day) and topical megascorbic applications, he has survived to the present, living a painfree, relatively normal life, going to work each day and feeling good most of the time. I believe Joe is a prototype for survival in terminal disease and has shown us a new way of handling these highly scorbutic patients that Medicine has given up, and prevent them from dying of scurvy. Joe, a keen observer, wrote up and submitted his case history to the New England Journal of Medicine, but they returned his manuscript and refused publication."

Typical! Enough said?

Warm regards, Katie,

David

[FishermansWife]

Thank you David! I started a large group of people suffering with gut issues and using ascorbic acid to heal it on Facebook. They often come to me with these researches and links. Its so easy to usually send them here to find answers or good links I've found. But this one had me stumped.

[ofonorow]

I am really not sure what the point of the 1996 study you referenced is, when are cells ever "bathed" in ascorbate? So you take a link on that page to a later 1999 study (in mice) and ascorbate prevents apoptosis (cell death) of T-cells...
Ascorbic acid is a potent inhibitor of various forms of T cell apoptosis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10357874/?i=4&from=/9097346/related

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the effect of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) on various death pathways of mouse T cells. Unlike humans, mice produce their own ascorbic acid and our study tested the effect of additional ascorbic acid on murine T cells. Our data show that three T cell death pathways (growth factor withdrawal-, spontaneous-, and steroid-induced death) were inhibited when T cells were incubated with ascorbic acid. The data show that both activated and resting T cells were responsive to ascorbic acid since both populations were resistant to death stimuli when treated with ascorbic acid. Additionally, effector T cells were more likely to enter S phase if treated with ascorbic acid. Our data implicate ascorbic acid as a potent inhibitor of various forms of T cell death and suggest that vitamin C may function as an immune booster through this mechanism.