Tu je nieco o absorpcii:
Dosage
Opinions vary widely as to the optimal dose of vitamin C. Linus Pauling, the Nobel Prize winner who studied the effects of large doses of vitamin C on the common cold, flu and cancer, recommended an optimum intake of between 2 g and 9 g per day. Many experts believe that 500 mg is ideal to meet body needs while others feel that 200 mg is adequate. Vitamin C needs vary with age, weight, activity, energy levels, general metabolism and state of health.
In order to maintain blood levels of vitamin C, it is best to take it in divided doses throughout the day. Taking vitamin C with food minimizes adverse effects on the digestive system.
A study reported in 1997 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that doses of vitamin C above 200 mg do not increase blood levels of the vitamin significantly and may be excreted. Researchers at the University of Tucson in Arizona, measured blood levels of vitamin C when the dose given was 200 mg and then again when 2500 mg was administered. They found negligible absorption increases between the lower and higher doses.
Doctors who practise orthomolecular medicine use megadose vitamin C therapy in times of specific illness, especially viral infections. They typically use 20 to 40 g daily, often intravenously. With oral doses, some doctors believe that the amount of vitamin C needed is related to the severity of the disease and increase the dose until ‘bowel tolerance’ is exceeded and diarrhea results.
Toxic effects of excess intake
Vitamin C is safe in relatively large doses but excessive intakes may cause diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramping, excess urination and skin rashes. There is the possibility of kidney stones in those with kidney disease. These effects may occur when doses above 1 g are taken regularly. Chewable vitamin C may lead to tooth decay.
Large doses of vitamin C taken by pregnant women have caused ‘rebound scurvy’ in newborn babies whose intake returns to normal. It may be advisable to reduce vitamin C intake slowly after taking large amounts.
Results of a study reported in 1998 in Nature Medicine suggest that vitamin C may cause cell damage in doses above 500 mg. The researchers gave daily doses of 500 mg of vitamin C to 30 healthy volunteers and then assessed two indicators of oxidative damage in DNA from their blood cells. One of these indicators showed less oxidation in the volunteers, and the other indicator showed more oxidation than before they began taking the supplements. However, this study directly contradicts other studies and focuses only on a single biological marker that is not necessarily known to be a good indicator of oxidative stress.
