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How safe is high-dose vitamin c?

In over 25 years of experience, he has found that healthy people can take 10-15 g/day before suffering from diarrhoea, reaching 30-60 g/day for people with colds, and 200 g/day for those with serious infectious diseases.

Reports of vitamin C raising blood uric-acid levels - or ‘rebound scurvy’ - have proved to be unfounded, as is the supposed increased risk of kidney stones - which, although postulated in theory, have never been found in practice. As a recent review of all the evidence puts it: “Numerous studies of vitamin C supplementation have provided no pattern of evidence to support concerns about safety other than occasional gastrointestinal upset” (Am J Clin Nutr, 2005; 81: 736-45). Neither has anyone yet found a dose above which the vitamin becomes unsafe (Nutr Rev, 1999; 57: 71-7).

Vitamin C boosts iron uptake, so individuals with the genetic iron-overload problem called ‘haemochromatosis’ should take extra vitamin E to counteract the effects of vitamin C.

Kidney stones - Q:Although most of your articles are interesting and informative, I have found that the subject that concerns me kidney stones has received little att...

Kidney stones - Q-My mother, aged 85, has one or two kidney stones lodged in one kidney. She has been to see a urologist, who advised her that lithotripsy is not suit...

Kidney stones - The link with your environment Kidney stones are thought to be caused by family heredity or too much calcium. But climate, many unlikely foods, certai...

Kidney stones - Can anyone suggest a natural remedy. I had my gallbladder removed about nine years ago. At the moment, I have pain and discomfort around my kidney are...

Vitamin E supplements: They’re good—but they could be even better - Vitamin E has had a slippery ride since its discovery in 1922, when it was hailed as a virtual cure-all. Our bodies can’t make vitamin E; we have to o...

Drugs that cause kidney stones - ...

Top heart health supplements - Vitamin C maintains healthy blood vessels and prevents fat accumulation (Am J Clin Nutr, 1974; 27: 866-76). Vitamin E protects blood vessels and pr...

Can Vitamin C be used as a Cancer therapy? - The US National Cancer Institute is taking a hard look at the effects of vitamin C on the body, particularly its alleged ability to treat cancer. ......

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