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What role does Vitamin C play in the prevention and treat¬ment of disease of heart and arteries — that greatest killer of the twentieth century?
Ever since the discovery of ascorbic acid hundreds of researches have been conducted in both guinea pigs (which like us cannot make their own ascorbic acid) and man. They all show the vital importance of ascorbic acid in the main¬tenance of the integrity of artery walls.
Ascorbic acid is essential for the formation and strength of the colloid substance that forms the tough tissue of the walls and the delicate lining of arteries, veins and capillaries, whether they be in the heart, the brain or in any other part of the body.
As early as 1941 deficiency of C was found to be a factor in coronary thrombosis due to impaired collagen produc¬tion, causing capillary rupture and haemorrhage into the arterial walls.
As an example, measurements of the ascorbic acid in the blood in 455 consecutive adult patients admitted to the Ottawa Civic Hospital in Canada over a 7 month period — 81 per cent of the coronary cases had extremely low ascor¬bic acid (less than half normal, 0.5%). Another survey in 1947 showed that low ascorbic acid levels were not confined to cardiac patients. Of 556 patients of all classes 123 had heart disease — 42 per cent of all patients had low Vitamin C in their blood, but in 70 per cent of the coronary throm¬bosis cases it was very low (down to 0.35 mg per cent).
Other papers throughout the 1950s and 1960s all show how valuable Vitamin C is in maintaining the integrity of artery walls, in lowering the blood cholesterol, in prevent¬ing the formation of plaques on artery walls and in prevent¬ing coronary thrombosis.
Again and again it was suggested that ascorbic acid be used as an addition to the usual methods of treatment, especially in the long range after-care of coronary infarcts — but the suggestions were never followed by the cardiologists.
Dr Constance Spittle, Consultant pathologist at Britain’s Pinderfields General Hospital, Waterfield, West Yorkshire, has conducted trials among her patients.
In 80 subjects she found that Vitamin C reduced their blood cholesterol levels in 25 per cent of young patients; while it increased blood fat in the older ones, already with atherosclerosis.
Dr Spittle believes that Vitamin C causes excess choles¬terol to remain dissolved in the bloodstream until it reaches the liver where it is normally converted into bile acids.
In Dr Spittle’s opinion and that of other researchers, namely Dr Ginter of Czechoslovakia, this increased serum cholesterol comes from formerly hardened cholesterol de¬posits which the vitamin has mobilised or reamed out from the arterial walls and is still circulating in the blood.
Thus, she believes, the high readings signify decreased not increased cholesterol danger, Vitamin C acting to re¬move cholesterol away from the artery walls.
It has also been found that Vitamin C deficiency greatly increases the actual synthesis of cholesterol in the body, whereas its presence brings down the cholesterol levels in the blood.
Recently, in 1977, a team of Australian scientists at the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Canberra have taken a long hard look at all this evidence. As a result, they are calling for larger studies to test the ability of Vitamin C to reduce the risk of heart attacks — and are already finding out that it does. <
Dr Irwin Stone concludes that all this research into the role of Vitamin C in heart and artery disease over the last 40 years indicates that the simple taking of 3 to 5 grams of Vitamin C a day in several spaced doses would be sufficient to prevent the continuing high incidence of heart disease, and strokes that plague civilized countries today. It should also be used as a supportive adjunct to orthodox treatment in the cardiac intensive care units of all hospitals, and as a follow up treatment to improve the competence of the whole blood vessel system throughout the body.
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Animal studies have demonstrated that calcium and Vita­min C given together produce earlier and quicker healing of fractures. The strength of the bone is increased and healing time reduced by 30 per cent.

Orthopaedic doctors and general practitioners very often administer these supplements to their fracture cases with excellent results.

Dr Phillip Thorek, President of Thorek Hospital and Medi­cal Centre in Chicago says that Vitamin C is the surgeon’s vitamin because wounds heal much faster and more com­pletely when Vitamin C supplements are given to the patient before and after any surgery.

It is indeed, the most important link in the healing chain of events in the formation of collagen, the glue-like substance which holds cells together and makes healing possible.

Vitamin A and the mineral zinc are both important in the production of the collagen that holds wounds together, but without Vitamin C collagen formation will be in­adequate and wounds will not heal — either healing is very slow or the wound ‘breaks down’ — and many more days must be spent in hospital.

A British study in the Lancet (7/9/74) found that 500 mg C twice a day (1000 mg a day) hastened healing twice as fast in that final breakdown of tissue — the bed sore.

If Vitamin E is taken by mouth and applied locally, bed sores will heal even faster. Indeed, bed sores can be pre­vented altogether from occurring if these two vitamins are amply supplied in the diet, coupled, of course, with good hygiene and nutrition.

Gangrene is another breakdown of tissue that can be healed by large doses of Vitamin C, and Vitamin E.

Five cases of long standing gangrene of the legs and feet due to atherosclerosis and scheduled for amputation at the Jewish Memorial Hospital, New York, were so greatly improved with 5 grams of sodium ascorbate daily — plus other treatment, that they were completely healed in a few weeks and amputation was avoided.

The tissue of animals which synthesize their own ascorbic acid is very rich in the vitamin. The pituitary or master gland of the body is richest, the adrenal glands next and the eyes are richer than any other organ, particularly the clear transparent tissues of the cornea and the lens; while the retina or actual seeing membrane lining the eyeball is also saturated with ascorbic acid.

Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness. It is due to chemical changes in the lens that gradually make it opaque. The normal lens is very rich in ascorbic acid but those that are forming cataracts have been found to be much lower in Vitamin C content.

It has been considered impossible to affect the growth of cataracts when once they start to form, but there have been many promising researches from the 1930s onwards, showing that senile cataracts can be prevented and incipient cataracts slowed down or prevented from developing further over the years by daily doses of ascorbic acid one to three grams a day.

Corneal injuries, burns and ulcers have been found to heal quickly with less opacity than expected when large daily doses of ascorbic acid are taken in addition to the usual course of treatment.

Glaucoma, an increase of the pressure within the eyeball which eventually destroys the nerves supplying the retina, is very common in middle life. It is estimated to be present in 2 percent of all people over 40, and in 8 to 10 per cent over 65 — although many do not realize they have it.

It is one of the most insidious thieves of sight.

From 1964 onwards Italian researchers in the Univer­sity of Rome’s Ocular Clinic and Finnish and Swedish doc­tors published many papers on the effects of ascorbic acid on glaucoma. They reported prompt reduction of pressure within the eyes by large doses of Vitamin C and no side effects.

At first, doses of 1000 mg to 2000 mg a day were used, but more complete and spectacular results were obtained with large doses of sodium ascorbate given intravenously — up to 70 grams per treatment.

It is suggested that glaucoma can be prevented and early cases inhibited in the over 40s by taking 3 to 5 grams (3000 mg to 5000 mg) of ascorbic acid a day continuously.

Much research needs to be done on the value of ascor­bic acid in the health of the eyes, especially in counteracting l he ageing processes that so often impair the sight of elderly people. It has already been shown, however, that regular taking of even 1000 mg a day will maintain clearer vision than in those who do not supplement their diet in this way.
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