Friday, March 15, 2024
HomeExclusiveIs Vitamin C Good For Cancer

Is Vitamin C Good For Cancer

May Reduce Your Risk Of Chronic Disease

No more Vitamin C for cancer

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can strengthen your bodys natural defenses .

Antioxidants are molecules that boost the immune system. They do so by protecting cells from harmful molecules called free radicals.

When free radicals accumulate, they can promote a state known as oxidative stress, which has been linked to many chronic diseases .

Studies show that consuming more vitamin C can increase your blood antioxidant levels by up to 30%. This helps the bodys natural defenses fight inflammation .

SUMMARY

Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that can boost your blood antioxidant levels. This may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease.

7 ).

Studies have shown that vitamin C may help lower blood pressure in both those with and without high blood pressure.

An animal study found that taking a vitamin C supplement helped relax the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart, which helped reduce blood pressure levels .

Moreover, an analysis of 29 human studies found that taking a vitamin C supplement reduced systolic blood pressure by 3.8 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 1.5 mmHg, on average, in healthy adults.

In adults with high blood pressure, vitamin C supplements reduced systolic blood pressure by 4.9 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 1.7 mmHg, on average .

SUMMARY

Vitamin C supplements have been found to lower blood pressure in both healthy adults and those with high blood pressure.

7 ).

13 ).

Vitamin C Passes Human Safety Trial

As part of the human safety trial, 11 patients with brain cancer who were undergoing standard chemotherapy and radiation therapy were also administered three weekly intravenous infusions of vitamin C for 2 months, and then two weekly infusions for 7 months.

Each infusion raised the patients blood levels of vitamin C to 20,000 micromoles . The average level of vitamin C in adults is approximately 70 M.

Overall, the treatment was tolerated well. The team noted very few minor side effects, such as dry mouth or rare and brief episodes of high blood pressure.

This safety test was the first phase of a series of clinical trials that will investigate whether high-dose vitamin C can effectively increase the lifespan and quality of life for patients that are being treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

For now, the data from the phase I trial show that patients with glioblastoma survived for 4 to 6 months longer than the average survival time noticed in patients who undergo conventional treatment alone. Specifically, patients who also received high doses of ascorbic acid survived for 18 to 22 months compared with 14 to 16 months, which is the typical survival rate for glioblastoma.

For the upcoming phase II of the clinical trials, the scientists will examine the effects of vitamin C in participants with stage 4 lung cancer as well as in those with highly aggressive brain tumors, such as glioblastoma.

Vitamin C Administration In Clinical Studies

Since the early 2000s, several studies including case reports and clinical trials, have been analyzed the effect of IV vitamin C in patients with different types of cancer. Two initial reports showed that treatment with high-dose IV ascorbate is well tolerated for cancer patients . However, although one study analyzing three cases showed long survival times of patients , the second study analyzing 24 cases failed to demonstrate anticancer activity of vitamin C . A study considering 125 breast cancer patients showed that IV ascorbate reduces chemotherapy-related side effects, such as nausea, fatigue and dizziness . Similar results were obtained in a study with 60 patients with different types of cancer, where IV ascorbate improved their quality of life . In addition, vitamin C administrated alone also improved quality of life in a study including 17 patients with different solid tumors, although no patient showed an objective antitumor response .

Read Also: Is 2000 Mg Of Vitamin C Too Much

Starving Cancer Cells From The Inside

Making use of the cancer cells own metabolic pathways is key to the findings of Michael P. Lisanti, from the Biomedical Research Centre at the University of Salford in Manchester, U.K., and his colleagues.

In a cell model, they showed that cancer stem cells rely heavily on mitochondria for their metabolism. Mitochondria are small structures within cells that generate energy. Glycolysis and mitochondrial metabolism are intricately linked.

Once energy is released from glucose by glycolysis, the end product of this pathway, pyruvate, is taken into mitochondria, where it is the starting point for a series of biochemical reactions that release energy from the molecule.

Lisantis work is in agreement with the findings of Dr. Cantleys study: vitamin C induces oxidative stress in CSCs and inhibits a key enzyme involved in glycolysis.

No glycolysis means no pyruvate, which, in turn, means that the mitochondrial powerhouses cannot generate any energy. The CSCs starve as a result.

And in a follow-up study, the researchers used this knowledge to design a new way of killing CSCs by using a combination of antibiotics and vitamin C. Some antibiotics, such as doxycycline, affect how well mitochondria work.

Treating CSCs with this antibiotic knocked out mitochondrial function, leaving the cells dependent on glycolysis to generate enough energy to keep them alive. But hitting CSCs with a dose of vitamin C shut off that alternative by inhibiting glycolysis.

Dont Limit Yourself To Serums

Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C. They are ...

The most common way to get vitamin C in a skin-care routine is in a serum. But you dont have to limit yourself! If youd rather not add an extra step to your regimen, know that you can also get vitamin C in cleansers, moisturizers, exfoliants, and even sunscreens, Dr. Hogan says.

Some of her favorite non-serum ways to get vitamin C include Ole Henriksen the Clean Truth Foaming Cleanser , Clinique Fresh Pressed Pure Vitamin C Powder , and Revision Vitamin C Lotion 30% .

All products featured on SELF are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related:

Recommended Reading: What Is The Best Vitamin C On The Market

Ccac Stopping Controversial Vitamin C Infusions Upsetting Patients

A 66-year-old Windsor man feels an Ontario government agency is letting him die, after he was told the alternative cancer treatment he believes improves his life will no longer be covered.

Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.

Use The Right Concentration Vitamin C For Your Skin Type And Concerns

Different products may contain a wide variety of concentrations of vitamin C. In general, they range from below 5% all the way up to 30%, Dr. Hogan says, and this ingredient can have different effects at those concentrations.

Those with dry or sensitive skin probably want to stick with lower concentrations, around 5%, which are less likely to be irritating. But those with more oily skin or with more extensive pigmentation issues to tackle can handle higher concentrations. However, as SELF explained previously, the effects begin to plateau after 20%, so theres usually no need to go higher than that.

Also Check: What Does The Body Use Vitamin D For

Historical Background Of High

Ascorbate is one of the early unorthodox therapies for cancer, based on two hypotheses but without supporting data. Nearly 50 years ago, McCormick postulated that ascorbate protects against cancer by increasing collagen synthesis . In 1972, Cameron and Rotman hypothesized that ascorbate could have anticancer action by inhibiting hyaluronidase and thereby preventing cancer spread . These hypotheses were subsequently popularized by Cameron and Pauling . Cameron and Campbell initially published case reports of 50 patients, some of whom seemed to have benefited from high-dose ascorbate treatment . Although the rationale was not clear, intravenous as well as oral ascorbate was used in most patients.

Cameron and Pauling then published the results of 100 patients with terminal cancer, in whom conventional therapy was no longer considered useful, and who were treated with 10 g ascorbate intravenously for 10 days followed by 10 g orally indefinitely. The ascorbate-treated patients were compared to 1,000 retrospective controls who had similar disease, but did not receive ascorbate or any other definitive anticancer therapy. The patients who received ascorbate survived 300 days longer than the controls .

Mechanistic Explanation Of The Anticancer Properties Of Vitamin C

Vitamin C to fight cancer

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient with a number of beneficial functions, for the organism, since it

  • helps the metabolism of tyrosine, folic acid, and tryptophan

  • increases the elimination of cholesterol

  • contributes to the synthesis of catecholamines

  • helps the body to absorb and breakdown histamine

  • enhances the absorption of nonheme iron

  • promotes the synthesis of collagen

  • neutralizes free radicals

  • protects the DNA from damage due to free radicals and mutagens

  • reduces the risk of premature death

  • fights off widespread environmental pollutants

  • prevents the development of nitrosamines, and much more.

Vitamin C is ubiquitous, but humans, guinea pigs, some primates, a particular type of fruit-eating bat, the majority of fishes and birds do not produce it, and therefore they depend on diet for the assumption and use of this fundamental nutrient .

Regarding the anticancer properties of vitamin C, different authors have proposed various mechanistic explanations among others:

Recommended Reading: Where To Buy Vitamin K2 Mk7

Vitamin C Chemotherapy Debate

The question of whether vitamin C supplements help or harm cancer patients has been ongoing for more than a decade, Heaney says. Because vitamin C is an antioxidant, some researchers say it could help cancer patients by promoting general health and keeping cells healthy.

But some chemotherapy drugs produce “oxygen free radicals.” The oxygen free radicals produced by the chemo drugs are meant to kill the cancer cells.

Under this theory, the vitamin C could soak up these free radicals instead and allow the cancer cells to survive.

What Happens During A High

Quad Cities Ketamine Clinic offers high-dose vitamin C infusions in their calm, spa-like private treatment rooms. You receive your infusion while you relax on one of the comfortable recliners. Quad Cities Ketamine Clinic provides complimentary WiFi and you can bring any items with you to enhance your comfort during your treatment. For example, you can bring blankets, pillows, books, and well-trained service and therapy animals.

The team provides a customized cancer therapy infusion treatment plan to address your specific needs. Most patients have up to three infusions per week for at least eight weeks. As with other treatments and therapies, your provider might adjust your program to meet your needs.

If youre fighting cancer and want to find out if high-dose vitamin C infusions can help you, call Quad Cities Ketamine Clinic or make an appointment online today.

Also Check: Can Vitamins Give You A Headache

Notice If The Product Has Changed Color

Your vitamin C serum should be colorless or a light straw color, Dr. Hogan says. If it is oxidized, it becomes yellow or brown and is likely going to be less effective.

You can still use it if you want, but it wont do as much for your skin and, very rarely, oxidized vitamin C products can even cause slight yellow discoloration of the skin, Dr. Hogan says.

So consider getting rid of any vitamin C products that have dramatically changed color since you bought them. Especially if it is brown, I would say to toss it, Dr. Lamb says.

What Are Vitamins Minerals And Other Nutrients

Best Food Sources of Vitamin C

A balanced and varied diet is the best way to get a healthy supply of vitamins and minerals. Some examples of these various nutrients are:

  • vitamins A, C and D
  • minerals like zinc, calcium, selenium and magnesium
  • essential fats
  • essential amino acids like phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, leucine, and lyseine
  • some plant compounds like carotenoids, flavonoids, and isoflavones

Eating a varied amount of these nutrients gives us energy and helps our bodies to grow and repair.

You might find that your cancer or your cancer treatment makes it difficult to eat or drink properly. Or your cancer might stop you absorbing some nutrients from your food or drink. So you might have low levels of particular nutrients. This can make you feel unwell.

You May Like: How Do You Check Vitamin D Levels

Ketamine Infusion Clinic & Iv Vitamin Infusion Located In Davenport Ia

If you’re having chemotherapy, you might benefit from high-dose vitamin C infusion therapy. At Quad Cities Ketamine Clinic in Davenport, Iowa, Tara Kinney, CRNA, APRN, and the team offer high-dose vitamin C therapy to help you fight cancer. Call the office or schedule a consultation online today to find out how high-dose vitamin C therapy can help.

Vitamin C Transport And Compartmentalization In Cancer Cells

As we addressed before, the knowledge on vitamin C uptake capacity and the organelle requirements of this nutrient in the context of cancer is still incomplete. Most of what is known comes from the analysis of GLUTs, which even if they have been mainly studied in the context of glucose uptake capacities in cancer, have direct implications in DHA uptake. In this context, it has been well described that cancer tissues overexpress GLUTs, which leads to an increased capacity to acquire glucose .

SVCTs on the other hand have been poorly studied. Meanwhile SVCT1 does not appear to have relevance in cancer , different studies have proposed that SVCT2 has a major function in tumors. The first of them showed that breast tumors have higher levels of SVCT2 expression compared to normal cells . In fact, overexpression of this transporter led to an increased chemosensitivity to high dose of ascorbate, which resulted in augmented reactive oxygen species production and ulterior cell death. Oppositely, siRNA against SVCT2 render the cancer cells resistant to this treatment . Therefore, SVCT2 might be implicated in the ascorbate induced cancer cell death phenomena. Similar results were observed by two groups in cholangiocarcinoma cells , hepatocellular carcinoma and colon cancer cells , where SVCT2 expression determines the susceptibility to pharmacological ascorbate-induced cell death.

Read Also: What Is Vitamin C And Zinc Good For

Importance Of Vitamin C In Fighting Cancer

  • Date

Vitamin C, a natural substance found in many foods and dietary supplements, has long been known to carry several important health benefits. Most notable among these benefits are its critical role in the formation and health maintenance of collagen. Therefore, Vitamin C is important for the health of skin and connective tissues throughout the body.

Intravenous Vitamin C has, in fact, been used for aesthetic purposes such as skin rejuvenation and skin whitening. Vitamin C is also important for the health of bone, cartilage, and teeth, and also plays a very important role in iron absorption thus impacting overall body health in the many critical ways iron does.

Probably the most controversial, yet exceedingly exciting, a benefit of Vitamin C is its suggested role in fighting cancer. The basis of attributing to Vitamin C this cancer-fighting ability is predicated on two main observations: Vitamin Cs property as an antioxidant and its property as a factor that helps enhance the function of the immune system. Several studies have documented the fact that Vitamin C acts as a natural antioxidant.

Vitamin C: Good Or Bad

Vitamin C impacting cancer growth

Really, it depends who you ask. Yesterday, a team of researchers from an American university claimed that high-dose injections of it might slow the growth of cancerous tumours. But before oncologists start feeling obsolete, note that this research was carried out on mice. When the mice mainlined the vitamin, tumours in the brain, ovaries and pancreas halved in weight and growth.

But as Dr Alison Ross, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, points out, there is currently no evidence from clinical trials in humans that injecting or consuming vitamin C, or other antioxidants, is effective in treating cancer. “Some research even suggests that high doses of antioxidants can make cancer treatment less effective, reducing the benefits of radiotherapy and chemotherapy,” she says.

Along with echinacea, vitamin C is either heroically good for you or ineffectual, depending on the study. Scientists have even claimed that it can kill you. A University of Southern California study in 2000, terrified people into believing that taking very high doses might speed up the clogging of neck arteries, and hasten a heart attack or stroke.

It also found insufficient evidence to determine whether vitamin C could do many of the things its believers swear it can, including preventing or treating pneumonia, tetanus, asthma or preeclampsia in pregnancy.

Also Check: What Vitamins Should I Take For Weight Loss And Energy

Health Benefits Of Citrus

The health benefits associated with citrus are huge! I like to start each morning with a cup of warm water that contains a spritz of lemon. Its incredibly warm and soothing on a cold winter morning. This is also a common morning practice for those following an alkaline diet. I also like to add lemon and lime slices to a pitcher of water that I keep in my fridge to let the flavors slowly infuse over the course of a day. There are so many ways to incorporate citrus into your day.

Below is a great, easy Lemon Chicken with Artichokes recipe that I often make. Enjoy!

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 3/4 Cup chicken stock
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tablespoons capers with juice
  • 1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Heat the olive oil in an 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the olive oil is heated, swirl it to cover the bottom of the pan.
  • Add the chicken breasts and sear them until browned. Turn the chicken breasts and brown them on the other side. Remove the chicken to a plate and increase the heat to high.
  • Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits into the sauce. Add the stock and bring to a simmer.
  • Add the lemon slices to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and place the chicken breasts on top of the lemon slices.
  • Add the capers, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook covered for 10 min.
  • Remove the lid and add the drained artichoke hearts.
  • RELATED ARTICLES

    Most Popular