No Danger from Vitamin E and C

May 23, 2005

Many of the worlds reknown scientist state that vitamin E and C are safe to take, even in high dosages. At the same time, the theory that the two vitamins prevent chronic illnesses, is still very much alive.

A number of world-leading researchers in vitamin E and vitamin C have concluded that the two antioxidants are completely safe over a very wide dose range. Thus, they reject claims to the opposite which are expressed in particular to the public, and to a lesser degree to the scientific community.

The article draws attention to the hypothesis that antioxidants reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, certain types of cancer, calcification of the coronary arteries of the heart, etc. – is still very viable. Although obvious deficiency diseases are rare in the Western world, low intake can accelerate more indicators of aging. This may at least be due in part to inadequate protection against free oxygen radicals.

The researchers reviewed 24 major “safety observations” of vitamin E, including all major studies from recent years. None of them found any harmful effects.

The same applied to 29 similar studies on vitamin C, where a few trials, however, showed increased excretion of oxalic acid – suspected of forming kidney stones – in the urine. In the authors’ opinion, this can be attributed to an analytical error, which is due to some vitamin C being converted to oxalic acid as a result of the measurement method.

The article cites the latest official recommendations from the US Food and Nutrition Board (FNB), which state the following safety values for vitamins E and C:

………………….Vitamin E (mg)……Vitamin C (mg)
RDA men…….….15…………..….…….90
RDA women…..15……………………..75
UL…………..………1,000…………………2,000

RDA stands for Recommended Dietary Allowance.
Vitamin E means natural vitamin E. The 15 mg corresponds to 33 units.
The RDA for vitamin C should be increased by 35 mg for smokers, i.e. to 125 mg for men and 110 mg for women.
UL stands for “tolerable upper intake level” and is the highest intake that, according to the FNB, can be consumed with “reasonable certainty that this will not cause harm”.

The recommended intakes are higher than previously, reflecting increasing recognition – also from official sources – of the importance of antioxidants.

It is no exaggeration to say that the 14 researchers behind the article are among the leading scientists. Their names are known to anyone with a scientific interest in antioxidants. Together, they are responsible for at least 1,500 scientific papers.

However, no one surpasses biochemist Lester Packer, who has been a professor at the University of Southern California for over 40 years and is undisputedly the world’s most recognized expert in the field. Packer has published more than 70 books, including one for non-specialists, and over 700 scientific articles.

He is president of the International Society for Research on Free Radicals, vice-president of UNESCO’s International Society for Molecular and Cell Biology, and editor of a large number of major scientific journals. He has received countless scientific awards and sits at the head of the table at almost every major scientific congress on antioxidants.

Now Packer and his colleagues have produced the most thorough rebuttal to date of the attacks on vitamins E and C, which, especially in Denmark, have frightened – and possibly thereby harmed – a large part of the population.

By: Niels Hertz, MD.

Reference:
Hathcock JN et al. Vitamins E and C are safe across a broad range of intakes. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;81:736-45.

www.ajcn.org
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