Most plants and animals synthesize their own levels of vitamin C. The majority of animals produce high levels of vitamin C from glucose in the liver. For example most mammals a) make their own vitamin C in high amounts of 3-11g daily (that’s 3000-11,000mg’s) in their livers (or kidneys) and b) do not suffer the same type of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases as humans. However, guinea pigs, fruit eating bats, apes and humans do not make their own vitamin C and do suffer these diseases if vitamin C is restricted in their diet. This explains the reason why vitamin C HAS to be gained through diet and supplement form. Both natural and synthetic ascorbic acid are chemically identical and there are no known differences in their biological activities or bio-availability.

Vitamin C is available from fresh fruits and vegetables. Adequate levels are found in fruits like orange, lemons, grapefruit, watermelon, papaya, strawberries, cantaloupe, mango, pineapple, raspberries and cherries. It is also found in green leafy vegetables, broccoli, tomatoes, green and red peppers, cabbage and cauliflower. Unfortunately, when preventing and fighting cancer, diet sources of vitamin C alone are just not sufficient in reaching the amount needed. Supplementation of vitamin C is essential under these circumstances.

Unfortunately, with our modern diets, vitamin C is often destroyed from our natural sources due to cooking, or convenience food which contains no vitamin C at all. Some people are not even aware of what they are eating!

The amount of vitamin C needed to avoid deficiency symptoms and maintain health has been set by various agencies as follows:

• 4O mg per day UK Food Standards Agency
• 60-95 mg per day US Food and Nutrition Board 2001 revision.

However, some researchers have calculated that the correct amount needed in adult humans to achieve similar blood serum levels as Vitamin C synthesising mammals, is as follows:

• 200 mg per day - Linus Pauling Institute and US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Recommendation.
• 3000 mg per day - Vitamin C Foundation's recommendation.
• 6000-12000 mg per day – Thomas Levy, Colorado Integrative Medical Centre recommendation.
• 6000-18000 mg per day - Linus Pauling's daily recommendation

You are probably wondering, “Ok, so what does this have to do with Cancer!?" Well quite a lot, as vitamin C is almost identical in molecular structure to Glucose. Glucose is a cancer cell's preferred fuel (see "Sugar feeds cancer"). Therefore, high levels of vitamin C will indeed be consumed by the cancer cell, leaving little resoucres left for the rest of the healthy cells and functions of the body. As cancer cells are gluttons for glucose, they mistakenly draw in very high levels of vitamin C which then causes Apoptosis (cancer cell death). Therefore, vitamin C is preferentially toxic to cancer cells. This then explains why the majority of cancer patients have low serum levels of vitamin C in the bloodstream.

In low doses, vitamin C assumes the nature of an antioxidant; in high dosages, vitamin C changes roles and becomes a pro-oxidant, inducing peroxide production. Tumor cells have a relative catalase deficiency; an enzyme necessary to detoxify hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen. A 10- to 100-fold difference in catalase concentrations exists between tumor cells and normal cells. Without the protection of catalase, peroxide accumulates in cancerous cells, along with aldehydes (toxic byproducts of the reaction), causing death to malignant cells, whereas normal healthy cells have the protection of the detoxification enzyme and are spared destruction by peroxide and aldehyde. Hence the reason for an essential blood test to test that your healthy cells do not show any deficiency in this enzyme. This test is needed before intravenous vitamin C is administered. Vitamin C, a virtually nontoxic nutrient, could cause diarrhea if not absorbed properly. People suffering cancer can consume large quantities of vitamin C daily, as their need is much higher than someone who is free from cancer.

As a double edged sword, vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant that neutralises free radicals (see antioxidants). It also strongly increases our immune system, which is essential in: a) defending our bodies from new rogue cancer cells forming, and b) attacking existing tumors.

Alpha Lipoic Acid is also a great partner for Vitamin C. This powerful antioxidant doubles the effectiveness of vitamin C, because it reloads each vitamin C molecule to do its job over again. (see antioxidants). Therefore it is essential to take Alpha Lipoic Acid, with Vitamin C!

For an effective cancer therapy, Vitamin C should be given via IV to obtain a high blood serum levels over a duration of time to destroy cancer cells. If IV treatment isnt being underaken, oral supplementation of between 3 to 9grams (3000mg to 9000mg) per day, in divided doses, is highly recommended in cancer prevention and as part of a nutritional cancer fighting program. The best way to find the correct amount is to increase the dose gradually until you reach bowel tollerace, ie. once diarrhea occurs, cut back slightly until you are taking a level that is high enough to be effective, yet low enough to prevent diarrhea. That is the bowel tollerance.