IV Doses of Vitamin C Show Promise in Cancer Cure

This just in from Patrick Holford. Patrick is an acknowledged expert who is always looking for natural answers. 

You always knew that vitamin C was essential but this new study is putting a whole new view to how important that little vitamin is.

High-dose vitamin C can be effective against cancer, according to research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.1

In a comprehensive study, Dr. Qi Chen and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that high doses of vitamin C caused cell death across a wide range of cancer cell lines--including lymphoma, melanoma, and cancers of the breast, lung, colon, and kidney. The concentrations of vitamin C used in the study could be achieved only by intravenous (IV) administration, not by taking it orally.

The high-dose vitamin C led to the formation of hydrogen peroxide, a chemical that can kill cancer cells. The effects were seen in both animal and human cancer cell lines. Normal cells were not affected by the vitamin C at any concentration.

Prior Research

This research reinforces studies conducted in the 1970s by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling. In Pauling's research, he gave 100 terminally ill cancer patients 10 grams (10,000 milligrams) of vitamin C each day. He compared their outcomes with 1,000 cancer patients given conventional therapy. The survival rate was five times higher in those given vitamin C. In addition, 13 patients in the vitamin C group were still alive 10 years later, with 12 apparently free of cancer, while all of the patients in the control group died.²

At the time, however, Pauling's findings were discredited. This was largely due to an apparent "replication" of the study by the Mayo Clinic that showed no benefit from vitamin C.³ But there were two major differences between the Pauling trial and the study by the Mayo Clinic. The terminally ill patients in the Pauling trial kept taking vitamin C every day, while those in the Mayo Clinic trial stopped after an average of 75 days. Also, patients in Pauling's study were given a combination of oral and IV vitamin C. In the Mayo Clinic study, only oral vitamin C was used.

Other studies have confirmed Pauling's results. In the 1980s, Drs. Murata and Morishige of Saga University in Japan showed that cancer patients taking 5-30 grams of vitamin C lived six times longer than those taking 4 grams or less. Those suffering from cancer of the uterus lived 15 times longer on vitamin C therapy.⁴

Prevention Studies

Research has also shown a role for vitamin C in cancer prevention, and a high dietary intake is associated with lower risk for several cancers.

In a 1991 review of prevention studies,⁵ Dr. Gladys Block, formerly with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), concludes, "Approximately 90 epidemiologic studies have examined the role of vitamin C or vitamin C-rich foods in cancer prevention, and the vast majority have found statistically significant protective effects. Evidence is strong for cancers of the esophagus, oral cavity, stomach, and pancreas. There is also substantial evidence of a protective effect in cancers of the cervix, rectum, and breast. Even in lung cancer...there is recent evidence of a role for vitamin C."

The Bottom Line

There is strong evidence that intravenous (IV) vitamin C can be an effective, non-toxic, and inexpensive form of cancer therapy. My advice for cancer patients is to find a doctor who can administer IV vitamin C. You can contact the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) at 888-439-6891 for a referral.

To reduce your risk of cancer, I recommend eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. The best choices for vitamin C are broccoli, peppers, berries, and citrus fruit. I also recommend supplementing 1,000 mg of vitamin C twice a day.

Wishing you the best of health,

Patrick Holford

References
¹ Chen, Q, Espey, MG, Krishna, MC, Mitchell, JB, Corpe, CP, Buettner, GR, Shacter, E, and Levine, M. 2005. Proc Natl Acad Sci 102(38): 13604-13609.
² Cameron, E, and Pauling, L. 1976. Proc Natl Acad Sci 73(10): 3685-3689; Cameron, E, and Pauling, L. 1978. Proc Natl Acad Sci 75(9): 4538-4542; Jaffey, M. 1982. Med Hypothesis 8(1): 49-84.
³ Creagan, ET. 1979. N Engl J Med 301: 687-690.
⁴ Murata, A, and Morishige, F. 1981. International Conference on Nutrition, Taijin, China.
⁵ Block, G. 1991. Am J Clin Nutr 54: 1310S-1314S.