High Dosage Vitamin C Therapy - Article
Relationship between Vitamin C and Cancer
Support your immune system & enhance your living quality
What is Vitamin C?
Vitamin C is the most important water-soluble vitamin in the human body, because it is a cofactor for various enzymes, collagen, cholesterol metabolism, and synthesis of neurotransmitters in the body. Vitamin C, also known as Ascorbic Acid, also plays an important role in the function of immune cells.
Most mammals can synthesize vitamin C from their bodies on their own, but humans cannot make it by themselves due to lack of such genes. They must get enough vitamin C from other sources (such as food/nutrition supplements). Due to the instability of vitamin C in food, storage, high temperature or over-cooking will destroy many vitamin C. Eating natural foods alone may not be able to meet daily needs, so some people choose to take vitamin C-rich nutrition supplements, or pursue high dosage vitamin c therapy.
Limitations in Oral Intake of Vitamin C
It should be noted that the human body has a very strict regulatory mechanism for the absorption of vitamin C. Therefore, despite the high oral dose of vitamin C, the concentration of vitamin C in the blood is still maintained at tens of micromoles (μmol/L), making it unable to achieve optimal results. In addition, orally intake high-dose vitamin C may cause stomach irritation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.
High dosage vitamin c therapy drip, which is more common in Europe and the United States, a method that supplements vitamin C through intravenous injection, allowing vitamin C to be taken directly into the blood. This method helps elevate blood concentration of vitamin C to a level that is around 100+ times higher than having oral administration of vitamin C. In addition, this method can bypass the digestive system and avoid gastrointestinal irritation, and there are no obvious side effects. Therefore, some people choose to take high dosage vitamin C through IV drip.
Background of High-Dosage Vitamin C Therapy (IV Vitamin C)
As early as half a century ago, vitamin C has been used to prevent common colds and scurvy (Scurvy). Dr. Linus Carl Pauling, an American chemist who won the Nobel Prize twice, discovered that high dosage vitamin c therapy has a supportive effect on the overall cancer treatment plan. He and his team discovered that not only IV Vitamin C drip has the opportunity to enhance the immunity of cancer patients and promote the health of patients, but also may help on their life expectancy. Since then, more laboratory and clinical studies have discovered that applying high dosage vitamin C in cancer treatments has the potential to reduce the division of a variety of cancer cells, reduce cancer recurrence and improve the quality of life of patients (More studies are needed to verify such claims).
Therefore, high dosage vitamin c therapy, in Hong Kong and abroad, has widely been used in integrative therapy.
High Dosage Vitamin C as Supportive Therapy
Vitamin C is an antioxidant nutrient that is beneficial to the body. It is originally an essential nutrient for the body to reduce toxins and defend against infections. In addition to the fact that IV Vitamin C Drip can help increase the level of vitamin C in the blood, studies have also discovered that having a corresponding dose of IV Vitamin C has a supportive effect on radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
High dosage vitamin C in cancer treatment, has the potential to (1) reduce the side effect in traditional treatment (including nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, depression, insomnia, dizziness, low immunity, weakness, etc.), and (2) support cancer patients for a better life quality.
Studies' viewpoints on High-Dosage Vitamin C
Different concentrations level of vitamin C have different functions in the human body. If the concentration of vitamin C in the body reaches 0.1mM, vitamin C , it could become an effective antioxidant, a molecule that can effectively slow down or prevent oxidation. At high concentrations of vitamin C, hydrogen peroxide (a type of reactive oxygen species) is produced during the breakdown of vitamin C, which can damage tissue and DNA. Normal cells have multiple pathways to remove hydrogen peroxide, keeping it low level to avoid injury. Compared with normal cells, the ability of cancer cells to remove hydrogen peroxide is relatively weak, so hydrogen peroxide may be able to destroy tumor cell tissue.
Studies have shown that tumor tissue has abnormally high levels of redox-active iron molecules (a byproduct of abnormal mitochondrial metabolism) that react with vitamin C to generate hydrogen peroxide and free radicals derived from hydrogen peroxide. These free radicals are thought to selectively cause DNA damage in cancer cells, potentially causing cancer cell death and increasing the sensitivity of cancer cells to radiation and chemotherapy.
Tumor angiogenesis is critical for tumor growth and metastasis, as it provides a nutrient supply and waste removal system. Studies have shown that high doses of vitamin C can help the synthesis of collagen, thereby strengthening the structural layer between cells, and have the opportunity to prevent cancer cells from penetrating the structural layer, thereby inhibiting the formation of new blood vessel tubules, preventing tumor growth and reducing spread. .
A study examined the clinical utility of intravenous vitamin C in terms of quality of life, conducted a prospective observational study of changes in quality of life caused by intravenous vitamin C, and evaluated its safety in cancer patients. The results showed that after 4 weeks of intravenous vitamin C treatment, the collected [Global Health Status Score] and [Functional Scale Score] showed significant improvement; in addition, subjective symptom scores, especially fatigue and insomnia scores were significantly improved . Based on these results, the study suggests that intravenous vitamin C can safely improve the quality of life of cancer patients.
A study published in Japan in 2012 showed that vitamin C drips can help improve or maintain the quality of life of cancer patients. Cancer patients who received intravenous vitamin C for 2 weeks experienced a significant reduction in the severity of some symptoms, including fatigue, insomnia, and constipation. After 4 weeks of treatment, pain began to significantly ease, and overall quality of life scores also improved significantly.
Who Shall Consider to consult a doctor for high dosage Vitamin C Therapy (IV VITAMIN C)
The following types of people may consider consulting a doctor for more information with regards to High dosage Vitamin c therapy, or for cancer treatment support:
- People with Tumor
- Cancer survivor
- Patients with chronic diseases and immune system diseases
- Patient Arthritis
Clinical Safety of High Dosage Vitamin C
(IV Vitamin C)
The following people shall not consider having high-dosage vitamin C therapy in HK:
- Patients with glucose-hexa-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency
- Patients with renal failure requiring artificial dialysis
- People who are malnourished
- People with symptoms of dehydration
The following side effects may occur:
- Irritating pain at the area of injection
There may be irritating pain at the site where the drip is injected (Decreasing the drip rate can relieve symptoms. - Dry mouth
There is a chance of a diuretic bodily response to IV injections, you should drink plenty of fluids during or after your IV session. - Possibility of causing hypoglycemia
At the chemical level, vitamin C has a very similar structure to glucose, and when the infusion is in progress, the body secretes insulin, causing blood sugar to drop and hypoglycemia to occur (although this is very rare). So try to avoid Take the infusion after a meal when the stomach is full.
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Reference
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3. Chen, Q. et al., 2005. Pharmacologic ascorbic acid concentrations selectively kill cancer cells: action as a pro-drug to deliver hydrogen peroxide to tissues. PNAS USA, Volume 205, pp. 13604-13609.
4. Espey, M. et al., 2011. Pharmacologic ascorbate synergizes with gemcitabine in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer. Free Radic Biol Med, Volume 50, pp. 1610-19.
5. Fromberg, A. et al., 2011. Ascorbate exerts anti-proliferative effects through cell cycle inhibition and sensitizes tumor cells toward cytostatic drugs.. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol, Volume 67, pp. 1157-66.
6. Mikirova, N., Rogers, A., Casciari, J. & Taylor, P., 2012. Effects of high dose intravenous ascorbic acid on the level of inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Mod Res Inflamm, Volume 1, pp . 26-32.
7. Targeted breast cancer drug “He X Ping”: For metastatic breast cancer, the non-deteriorating period after use has been extended from 4.5 months (chemotherapy only) to 7.2 months (chemotherapy + He X Ping). The lung cancer target “Ai XX” claims to have a response rate of about 10%, and the non-deteriorating period after use has been extended from 6.3 months to 9.2 months. “Cancer X Stop” for metastatic colorectal cancer, compared to the chemotherapy-only control group, the non-malignant period is about 0.8 to 4.4 months longer, and for ovarian cancer it is 1.7 months. The non-malignant period of advanced kidney cancer and liver cancer target drug “Lei XX” has been extended from 2.8 months to 5.5 months for advanced kidney cancer, and the non-malignant period for patients with advanced liver cancer has been extended from 1.4 months to 2.8 months. All target drugs will inevitably face the problem of drug resistance quickly after use
8. SJ Padayatty, et al. Intravenously administered vitamin C as cancer therapy: three cases. CMAJ? March 28, 2006? vol. 174 No. 7