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Health Article Commentary

Vitamin C and Multivitamins. What's True and What Isn't?

Copyright 2008 Schwontkowski. Call for reprint rights.

February is Health Article Commentary Month.
Build your critical thinking skills by looking for the errors of this health article. We'll comment on the science behind the info in the health article and what else you may need to know.

Vitamin C

Although there is a lot of disagreement about the efficacy of vitamin supplements, there are some things that everyone agrees upon. One of them is the importance of vitamin C. Anyone who knows something about vitamin nutrition will recognize that vitamin C is good for you. You simply can't get too much of it or if you can, it is very difficult. The C vitamin is good for all kinds of different things. It helps your immune system, fight against cancer and harmful free radicals, and may just make you live longer.

There are some people who make some very extravagant claims about vitamin supplements, including vitamin C. It is claimed by some rather noteworthy people that taking hundreds of times the US RDA of C vitamins can greatly improve mental health, increase your lifespan, and make you healthier. Although this hasn't been proven by science, taking large doses at least doesn't seem to hurt you. Vitamin D, vitamin A, and many other nutrients can be harmful in excessive quantities. With vitamin C, however, you are unlikely to hurt yourself by taking too much. Your body simply flushes out any excess, and uses the part that it needs. If you take way too much you can give yourself a stomach ache, but that is about it.

I have personally used vitamin C to good effect to combat past illnesses. I used to have a doctor and alternative medicine practitioner who is crazy about the stuff. Every time one of his patients would get sick, he would give them what was known as a Super-C. He would inject concentrated high levels of vitamin C in the blood, combined with a small dose of Hydrochloric acid. It was amazing how quickly and effectively it would work. Within minutes of getting the injection, I would be feeling better. All the congestion would drain out of my sinuses, and my body would immediately fight off the illness. Although this still is not a common technique among many doctors, it is growing in popularity. It is quick, easy, and powerful. What else could you ask for?

It can also be a good idea to take a multivitamin supplement. A lot of us don't get enough nutrients in their diets, and it can never hurt to have a little bit of a boost. People who take multivitamin supplements are healthier, live longer, and gets sick much less often. What more could you ask for?

End of article.

Commentary

First of all, the author says that you cannot get too much vitamin C. Actually, you can take more vitamin C than what the bowel can handle. The result is loose stools, what some people call diarrhea. (However, diarrhea is when the stools are very runny with lots of liquid.)

Who Needs More Vitamin C?

Most people could realistically use more vitamin C in their diet, either through foods or supplements. When on assignment to write an article for Alternative Medicine magazine on an alternative cancer treatment clinic in Arizona, all cancer patients who were patients were tested for vitamin C levels. They were so deficient that they needed IV's with 46 grams vitamin C daily for two weeks before their levels returned to normal! They obviously didn't get this way overnight! Low levels of vitamin C creep up on us, as the vitamin is depleted whenever we are under stress.

Can't Take Too Much, But...

There's more to vitamins than the concept of them being water soluble or fat soluble. It is thought that if vitamins are water soluble, there won't be a problem if you take a lot of them. But that's not true. Increasing one vitamin to higher levels can cause imbalances of the others. Taking high levels of vitamin C can be a little tricky. The antioxidants work together. If you increase one of them, the others need to be increased. High levels of vitamin C can decrease levels of vitamin E and A. However, levels of vitamin C that are 2000 mg or less probably won't cause problems.

Multivitamins - Are All of Them Equal?

The research about multivitamin supplements now reports that all multivitamin supplements are not alike. Again, it's a matter of balance. If you take a multivitamin supplement that contains 15 or 23 vitamins and minerals, you boost up levels of the 15 that are in the multivitamin supplement and decrease the levels of 7 that you don't take. The answer is to buy a multivitamin supplement that is highly researched and has all the vitamins and minerals in it that you need in dosages of the right amount. But how do you determine what the proper dosage is? Using lab tests is a good way to find out more info about where your levels of vitamins and minerals are, but you really do need a nutritionist to calculate exactly what your body needs and choose a good multivitamin for you.