High-Dose Vitamin C, Why?

Vitamin C modulates neurotransmitter function by binding neurotransmitters to

receptors as well as regulating the release from presynaptic vesicles. Vitamin C is a cofactor for the synthesis of

catecholamines especially dopamine and norepinephrine. Vitamin C appears to be a substrate for dopamine beta-

hydroxylase and catalyses the formation of norepinephrine from dopamine.

Vitamin C also modulates activity of some other receptors such as glutamate and the GABA receptors and therefore can

help modulate and lessen damage excitotoxic damage from excess glutamatergic neurotransmission. Vitamin C inhibits

the binding of glutamate to the NMDA receptor. Vitamin C also decreases the energy barrier for GABA activation so it

promotes GABAergic transmission which ultimately will lessen the beneficial conditions such as anxiety disorders.

Vitamin C can also act as a dopamine receptor antagonist which is why it is useful for manic mood disorders such as

bipolar and schizophrenia.

Vitamin C also promotes optimizing neuronal metabolism by

changing the preference for lactate over glucose as the energy substrate to sustain synaptic activity, so when it is

released from glial cells and is taken up by neurons where it restrains glucose transport and tubulization so then lactate

ends up being the major metabolic substrate for neuronal metabolism as an energy source.

Vitamin C is also involved in collagen synthesis which is important for the

brain. Collagen is important for regeneration of blood vessels and neuro sheath formation; therefore, it could be said

that vitamin C helps optimize and repair the blood brain barrier which is routinely damaged in patients with chronic

progressive neurodegenerative illnesses such as Parkinson’s’ and dementia. Vitamin C has been shown to have

alleviating effects on seizure activity by the above mechanisms and reduces seizure induced damage on the

hippocampus.

Both in-vivo, animal and in-vitro studies have shown that vitamin C

is beneficial for Alzheimer’s.

Murakami et al reported that a six-month treatment of vitamin C can result in reduced A-beta oligomer formation and

can significantly decrease in a measurable way brain oxidative damage and can attenuate behavioral decline in an

Alzheimer’s mouse model. Studies have shown that patients with Alzheimer’s also have a lower vitamin C plasma level.

Other randomized controlled trial involved 276 elderly patients demonstrated that 16-week treatments with vitamin C

and beta-carotene significantly improved cognitive function especially with higher doses of beta-carotene.

Vitamin C is important in helping patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Glutamate mediated excitotoxicity is associated with the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s and this is lessened as a

consequence of vitamin C treatment. Vitamin C plays a role in dopaminergic neuron differentiation. Vitamin C also plays

a role in alpha synuclein oligomerization, alpha synuclein shown to be produced in the intestine as a consequence of

excess LPS production from pathogenic gram negative aerobes in the intestine and the alpha synuclein travels to the

brain via the vagus nerve via retrograde axonal transport to promote damage in dopaminergic neurons in the brain

leading to the movement disorders associated with Parkinson’s. Human studies have shown that vitamin C deficiency in

mild Parkinson’s patients is widespread, however, the plasma level of vitamin C is not as relevant as intracellular vitamin

C concentration and this has been confirmed by a study performed Ide et al. It has been shown that lymphocytic vitamin

C levels in patients with severe Parkinson’s is symmetrically lower compared to those with less severe Parkinson’s. There

is one cohort study involving 1036 Parkinson’s patients showing that dietary vitamin C intake will decrease Parkinson’s

risk. There have been multiple case reports showing that IV vitamin C therapy can lessen movement disorders in

Parkinson’s patients. Vitamin C also increases L-dopa level which is a precursor for dopamine.

For multiple sclerosis, vitamin C has been shown to be useful

since it can help lessen oxidative damage and lessen myelin destruction which is characteristic in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis patients also have a low vitamin C level compared to healthy individuals. Multiple studies have shown

that multiple sclerosis patients treated with

Because of the effects on neurotransmission, vitamin C has also

been shown to be useful for depression modulating catecholamine production, optimizing GABAergic production,

GABAergic stimulation and lessening excitotoxicity from NMDA receptor activation. Vitamin C has an antidepressant like

effect via potassium channel inhibition and by activation of phosphatidlinositol 3-kinase in the brain. Furthermore,

vitamin C deficiency is very common in patients with chronic depression. For its beneficial of anti-GABAergic effects and

its anti-glutamate toxicity effects, vitamin C treatments have been shown to be useful for anxiety as well.

A study performed by De Olivera et al examined the effects of short term vitamin C treatments in high school students in

a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial. This treatment led to higher vitamin C concentrations associated

with decreased anxiety levels and optimized heart rate levels so there was less tachycardia associated with panic

disorder and anxiety. A six-week vitamin C treatment led to decreased anxiety measured by patient’s symptom scores.

Vitamin C has also been shown to decrease anxiety in diabetic patients. Vitamin C deficiency has been associated with

worsened schizophrenia and the studies do show that vitamin C as an antioxidant alleviates the effects of free radicals in

the treatment of schizophrenia.

Vitamin C has been useful for Alzheimer’s to by lessening

oxidative stress, decreasing amyloid aggregation, decreasing neuronal loss, improving the integrity of the blood brain

barrier and lessening phosphrylation of tau protein at Ser-396. Vitamin C has been shown to be helpful for Parkinson’s

by lessening alpha synuclein oligomerization, increasing dopaminergic neuron differentiation and protecting against

glutamate mediated excitotoxicity and by its beneficial effects on dopamine production. Vitamin C has also been useful

for multiple sclerosis by lessening oxidative stress and myelin destruction. For psychiatric disorders such as depression,

anxiety and schizophrenia, vitamin C has been shown to be beneficial by modulating catecholamine and GABAergic

systems, inhibiting excess NDMA activation, locking potassium channels, decreasing oxidative stress, improving redox

mechanisms.

SUMMARY: Data published by the Riordan Clinic has shown that vitamin C has successfully treated polio, diphtheria,

Herpes zoster, shingles, Herpes simplex, chickenpox, influenza, measles, mumps and pneumonia.

The mechanism is that the antioxidant property of vitamin C promotes a reducing environment in the blood stream and

tissues, enhancing the body’s response to oxidative stress from inflammation thereby helping the immune system to

fight microbes and viruses that propagate in stressful situations. Vitamin C therefore functions as an antiviral drug and

also enhances immune system function. White blood cells have vitamin C in intracellular level and use vitamin C at the

site of infection. Vitamin C also enhances the production of interferon which then helps prevent cells from being

infected by viruses and vitamin C stimulates activity of antibodies and cytokines in mega doses and promotes

mitochondrial energy production and can help specialize immune cells ingest bacteria such as phagocytes. Vitamin C also

interferes with viral DNA and RNA replication; in-vitro experiments have shown that vitamin C can in just isolated way

kill influenza viruses.

The antiviral activity of vitamin C is not virus specific, researches have shown that we can kill any kind of virus whether

they are enveloped or non-enveloped, double stranded DNA or single stranded RNA. Multiple in-vivo studies from across

the world have shown that vitamin C IV treatments have been useful for complicated viral infections. One study in

Germany involved 67 patients with shingles that received 7.5 gm IV vitamin C daily for 2 weeks in addition to standard

treatment for shingles and patients that received the vitamin C had less Herpes zoster associated pain, less rashes, and

less general complaints. Vitamin C can also treat patients with EBV which is the common cause of chronic fatigue

syndrome. EBV is linked to malignancies such as lymphoma and autoimmune diseases. The Riordan Clinic has shown that

doses from 7.5 to 50 gm IV can decrease viral antibody levels and the benefits seem to be dependent upon the number

of treatments given as patients given 10 or more treatments had greater reduction in viral antibody titers reflecting less

viral inflammation. Overall 148 animal studies have been published by 2005 about the benefits of vitamin C as a

treatment for infections.

In addition to antiviral effects, vitamin C appears to have an antifungal and antiparasitic effect also. Vitamin C has also

been shown to reduce mortality in multiple infections specifically tuberculosis, bacterial sepsis, toxic shock, rabies,

Candida, and protozoa, and all the studies have been in animals. Vitamin C has been known to routinely treat the

common cold. Multiple studies have also shown the benefits of vitamin C to treat pneumonia, both bacterial and viral

pneumonia. There is a study from UK in 1994 performed by Dr. Hunt who carried out a randomized double blind placebo

controlled trial on elderly people in the UK, their mean age was 81 years hospitalized for acute bronchitis from

pneumonia. Vitamin C treatments reduced the respiratory symptom score in the more ill patients and decreased

mortality. Vitamin C appears to have beneficial effects on infections caused by virus, bacteria, Candida, and protozoa.

Vitamin C also can decrease the pain associated with oral Herpes.