Vitamin C: Oral vs.
Intravenous, Immune Effects,
Chronic Conditions,
Cancer, & More
-
Dr. Rhonda Patrick &
edited
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
& B.
Windham
Vitamin C, even in
small quantities, protects proteins, lipids and even
DNA and RNA
in your body from
reactive oxygen species that are generated during normal metabolism as well as
due to toxin exposure
.
Vitamin C also acts as
an antioxidant within your cells, helping to protect immune cells from
incurring damage, and may promote the production of interferon, which helps
defend against viruses
.
Bioavailability of
vitamin C varies by form; intravenous is most bioavailable, but liposomal
vitamin C, in which vitamin C is encapsulated in a lipid particle, may increase
bioavailability of oral vitamin C considerably
.
Nina A.
Mikirova
, PhD, Riordan Clinic
The data from the study indicate that oral
delivery of 4 g of vitamin C encapsulated in liposomes produces
circulating concentrations of vitamin C that are greater than non-encapsulated
oral, but less than achieved by intravenous administration. The levels of
ascorbate that were achieved in plasma after 4 grams vitamin C were 1419
uM
for intravenous ascorbate, 124
uM
for un-
encupsulated
and
170
uM
for encapsulated (liposomal) ascorbate.
Vitamin C, a water-soluble
vitamin found in abundance in fruits and vegetables, is an essential nutrient
that humans must get from their diet or supplements. Also known as ascorbic
acid, vitamin C is perhaps most well-known for its antioxidant properties —
properties it maintains because of an ability to donate electrons to oxidized
molecules.
In
her
video
, Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D., discusses vitamin C in-depth, covering everything from
its effects on immune function and viral infections to the bioavailability of
different vitamin C forms and administrations, such as oral or intravenous —
plus much more.
Studies
have documented that the current RDA for Vit C is below the optimum level for
prevention and treatment of chronic conditions.
Many studies have demonstrated that
higher intakes
of vitamin C
,
especially
in quantities achieved with supplemental vitamin C
, are associated with
reduced risk
of developing a vast array of acute and chronic diseases
, ranging in
severity from the common cold to cancer,
lung
and
cardiovascular
disease,
immune conditions,
and neurodegenerative disorders.
Conversely, low vitamin C intake, which varies across different populations,
and subsequent deficiencies impair key biological processes and pose an
increased risk for certain conditions such as decreased fat utilization during
exercise and increased severity of Alzheimer's disease. Vitamin C
appears to
be
especially beneficial for
critically
ill people
, particularly those with viral infections, who commonly have
lower blood levels of vitamin C compared to healthy people.
Vitamin C has demonstrated
effectiveness as a factor in
treating
a large number of chronic conditions
including conditions related to
exposure to
toxic metals, pesticides, and
other toxics.
The
effects of intravenous
vitamin C
differ markedly
from
those achieved with dietary or supplemental intake
because of the
considerable concentrated increase in plasma levels that occurs with
intravenous administration
.
Consequently,
as seen in this paper,
intravenous vitamin
C has
demonstrated increased effectiveness against many conditions and
offers promise as a therapeutic strategy
against certain types of cancer and infections that oral supplementation cannot
achieve.
Vitamin
C, even in small quantities, protects proteins, lipids and even DNA and RNA in
your body from reactive oxygen species that are generated during normal
metabolism as well as due to toxin exposure (such as to cigarette smoke and air
pollution).
Vitamin
C is also
involved
in the
biosynthesis of collagen, carnitine and catecholamines, according to Patrick,
and as such, “vitamin C participates in immune function, wound healing, fatty
acid metabolism, neurotransmitter production, and blood vessel formation, as
well as other key processes and pathways.”
1
Intravenous
(IV) vitamin C has also shown promise in helping to treat
viral infections
and
cancer
, while vitamin C is also
involved in the way your body processes other vitamins, such as vitamin E,
which it regenerates from its oxidized form. Vitamin C also makes iron from
dietary sources more bioavailable because it enhances gut absorption of nonheme
iron.
2
Vitamin
C’s role in immune function is worthy of attention. “It stimulates the
production of white blood cells, especially neutrophils, lymphocytes and
phagocytes, and promotes the cells' normal functions, such as their ability to
detect, move toward and engulf pathogens,” according to Patrick.
3
Vitamin
C also acts as an antioxidant within your cells, helping to protect immune
cells from incurring damage, and may promote the production of interferon,
which helps defend against viruses.
There’s
also evidence that vitamin C may help in some cases of exercise-induced immune
dysfunction. While exercise is generally beneficial for immune function,
over-exercise or repeated high-intensity training can take a toll on the immune
system. In the case of marathon runners, skiers and soldiers, for instance,
those who used supplemental vitamin C had 50% fewer colds.
4
Vitamin
C’s
anti-cold effects
are
among its most-studied uses, and research suggests that using vitamin C
prophylactically as well as therapeutically at the onset of cold symptoms may
reduce symptoms and cold duration.
5
It
has
also
be
en
found to be
useful
against COVID-19.
In
my March 17, 2020
interview with Dr. Andrew Saul
,
editor-in-chief of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, he mentions being
in contact with a South Korean medical doctor who is giving patients and
medical staff an injection of 100,000 IUs of vitamin D along with as much as
24,000 mg (24 grams) of IV vitamin C. "He's reporting that these people
are getting well in a matter of days," Saul says.
As
explained by Saul, vitamin C at extremely high doses acts as an
antiviral drug
, actually killing
viruses. While it does have anti-inflammatory activity, which helps prevent the
massive cytokine cascade associated with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, its
antiviral capacity likely has more to do with it being a non-rate-limited free
radical scavenger.
Patrick
also noted that vitamin C may be protective against
respiratory diseases
. In one
study, people with the highest vitamin C levels were 15% less likely to develop
respiratory conditions and 46% less likely to die of lung cancer compared to
those with the lowest levels.
6
Further,
vitamin C is well known for helping with lung defense, which takes on renewed
meaning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Patrick:
7
“The innate immune system of
the lungs is an integral component of the body's defense system, protecting the
body against exposure to inhaled oxidants and pathogens … Vitamin C's lung
defense capacity is evidenced by robust data suggesting that vitamin C intake
protects against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and
other respiratory illnesses, including lung cancer.
But this characteristic takes
on special relevance in light of recent concerns about complications associated
with COVID-19, such as pneumonia and acute lung injury, which
sometimes
necessitate mechanical ventilation support.
Epidemiological and
observational data indicate that higher vitamin C intake is associated with a
lower risk of developing pneumonia, and the vitamin has also proven to be
effective at
decreasing the duration
for which patients
are kept on mechanical ventilation, especially among patients who require more
than 24 hours of breathing support.”
Another
exciting area of vitamin C research involves
cancer
. Research suggests that
IV vitamin C may extend survival
compared to chemotherapy alone
, even for pancreatic and ovarian cancers,
which are among the deadliest. Patrick mentions two studies in patients with
pancreatic cancer, which found intravenous vitamin C helped reduce tumor size
and promote longer progression-free survival
.
8
Vitamin
C also leads to improved quality of life for cancer patients. In one study of
39 patients diagnosed with terminal cancer, IV vitamin C led to improvements in
physical, emotional and cognitive status as well as reductions in fatigue,
nausea, vomiting, pain and appetite loss.
9
Since
conventional cancer therapies often lead to significant side effects, including
physical, emotional, cognitive and sexual impairments, using vitamin C as an
adjunct to improve quality of life can be a significant improvement.
9
&
Dr. Thomas Levy: IV Vitamin C Can Reverse
Cancer and Infections -
The
Health Show
Patrick’s video also goes into the role vitamin C
plays as a cardioprotective agent, as well as a mediator of brain health. For
starters, vitamin C is known to protect against high blood pressure, as well as
reduce blood pressure in people with high blood pressure or prehypertension.
10
Pooling the data from 44 clinical
trials
showed a significant positive effect of vitamin C on
cardiovascular Endothelial
Function ,
with stronger effects in those at higher
cardiovascular disease risk.
Studies
also found Vit C use is
effective against oxidative stress and reduces blood pressure.
Vitamin
C also shows promise as a treatment for ischemia and perfusion injury, which
can occur following a heart attack or stroke, leading to increased inflammation
and oxidative damage. “Vitamin C might be effective at reducing myocardial
injury in part by mitigating oxidative stress,” Patrick explained.
11
In your brain, vitamin C is
also essential. According to Patrick:
12
“Vitamin C is found in high
concentrations in the brain, especially in the hippocampus and frontal cortex
regions – areas involved in memory consolidation, learning, and aspects of
executive function.
Vit C has been found to
have
many important functions
in protecting the brain and deficiencies can result in serious
neurodegenerative problems.
In fact, in a classic example
of the body triaging resources based on needs, the brain retains vitamin C
during times of deficiency at the expense of other tissues. This is critical to
our survival: Evidence suggests that vitamin C plays roles in the brain
throughout the lifespan from development through older age.”
Due
to vitamin C’s antioxidant properties
and
it’s
ability to reduce oxidative
stress damage
,
it
can
help decrease the risk of
neurodegenerative conditions
like
Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and multiple
sclerosis because it reduces oxidative damage. “Vitamin C is also important for
the regulation of neurotransmitters, the formation of neural circuits, and many
other key brain functions,” Patrick says.
13
Aside from being an
antioxidant and anti-infective agent, Patrick describes vitamin C’s benefits
for:
|
Pneumonia
|
Asthma
|
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction
|
|
Fatty acid oxidation
|
Sepsis
|
Myocarditis in children
|
|
Herpes
|
Epstein-Barr virus infection
|
Fertility and reproduction
|
|
Inflammation
|
Lung cancer
|
Common cold and other respiratory
diseases
|
There
are differences in the bioavailability of vitamin C depending on its form. Both
frequency and dose of vitamin C will affect your levels, but so too will taking
it in oral or IV form.
“For
example, oral vitamin C is absorbed in the small intestine via specialized
transporters that are subject to saturation, but intravenous vitamin C bypasses
the gut, achieving blood and tissue concentrations that are markedly higher than
those achieved with the oral form,” Patrick explains.
14
IV
vitamin C may lead to blood concentrations up to 70 times higher than an
equivalent oral dose.
15
That being said,
liposomal vitamin C, in which vitamin C is encapsulated in a lipid particle,
may increase bioavailability of oral vitamin C considerably.
“A
few studies suggest that oral bioavailability of vitamin C can be increased
when consumed in liposomal form, which exerts a unique profile of oral
bioavailability,” Patrick says, citing a study of 20 people who were given a 10-gram
dose of free oral vitamin C or liposomal vitamin C.
16
“The
average peak plasma concentration of vitamin C in the participants who took the
free form was approximately 180 micromoles per liter of blood. However, among
those who took the liposomal form, the average peak plasma concentration was
300 micromoles per liter of blood, a 70 percent difference,” she said.
17
“
I strongly believe that
liposomal vitamin C is a must for your medicine kit to be pulled out for acute
viral illnesses. If I were to become acutely ill, I would take 4 grams of
liposomal vitamin C every hour until feeling better, then start decreasing the dosage
slowly over a few days once symptoms improve.
”
A
wide variety of foods are high in vitamin C, including red pepper, parsley,
broccoli, kiwi, strawberries, guava, tomato and all citrus fruits. You can get
significant amounts of vitamin C from your diet if you eat these foods on a
daily basis.
Keep
in mind, however, that cooking destroys about 25% of the vitamin C present in
foods.
18
Fortunately,
many vitamin C-rich foods are commonly eaten raw. If you're healthy, or have
only mild illness, you can certainly use these types of whole foods, and they
may even be preferable, but if you want to treat illness, your best bet is to
use vitamin C in supplement form, either liposomal or IV. Further, according to
Patrick:
19
“It is noteworthy that
most research
scientists believe that compelling evidence
supports increasing the RDA for vitamin C to 200 milligrams per day for adults
and that the optimal dose for most chronic conditions
is much higher
. Whereas the goal of the current recommendations is to reduce the risk
of scurvy, higher intake could saturate tissue levels, potentially reducing the
risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and metabolic
dysfunction.”
Certain
populations, including people who smoke, consume alcohol
, have toxic exposures,
or have inflammatory bowel disease, need
increased intake of vitamin C, but some research suggests vitamin C deficiency
may be
much
more common than realized.
“Interestingly,
a population-based cross-sectional study of nearly 150 patients admitted to a
large teaching hospital in Canada found that 60 percent of the patients had
suboptimal plasma vitamin C levels and 19 percent were deficient, with levels
approaching those associated with scurvy,” Patrick noted.
20
It’s clear that vitamin C is
one nutrient everyone should be sure to get enough of, but if you’re acutely
ill, vitamin C becomes even more important.
Vitamin C has been found to be
beneficial
for relief of chronic pain
or for recovery from chronic conditions or
operations.
“Vitamin
C might be especially beneficial for critically ill people,
particularly those with viral
infections
, who commonly have lower blood levels of vitamin C compared to
healthy people,” Patrick says. So in addition to eating plenty of vitamin
C-rich foods daily, keep vitamin C in mind during times of illness.
Fortunately, Patrick adds, “With some exceptions, oral and intravenous vitamin
C supplementation have been shown to be safe, well-tolerated, and have low
toxicity.”
21
-
Sources and References
5
BioMed Research International July 5, 2018
,
C. L. Yu, “Research and new function of
vitamin C,”
Jilin Medical Journal
, vol. 29, no. 21, pp. 1924-1925,
2008.
16
Journal of Liposome Research July 2, 2019
,
New
oral liposomal vitamin C formulation: properties and bioavailability