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Are Vitamin C Pills Good For You?

What apparent effect does taking vitamin C supplement have on our lifespan?

January 26, 2011 |
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Supplementary Info

Sources Cited

A. Sheth, R. Khurana, and V. Khurana. Potential liver damage associated with over-the-counter vitamin supplements. J Am Diet Assoc, 108(9):1536-1537, 2008.

H. D. Sesso, J. E. Buring, W. G. Christen, T. Kurth, C. Belanger, J. MacFadyen, V. Bubes, J. A. E. Manson, R. J. Glynn, and J. M. Gaziano. Vitamins e and c in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in men: The physicians' health study ii randomized controlled trial. Jama, 2008.

J. Lin, N. R. Cook, C. Albert, E. Zaharris, J. M. Gaziano, M. Van Denburgh, J. E. Buring, and J. E. Manson. Vitamins c and e and beta carotene supplementation and cancer risk: A randomized controlled trial. J. Natl. Cancer Inst., 101(1):14-23, 2009.

Acknowledgements

Transcript

Last year we learned that vitamin A and vitamin E supplements weren’t just a waste of money, but you were actually paying to live, on average, a shorter life, whereas vitamin D supplements were shown to increase one’s lifespan.
Let’s keep filling in the alphabet: vitamin C. Did scientists just discover that vitamin C supplements shorten our lifespan? Don’t do anything to our lifespan? Or do vitamin C supplements enable us to live longer?
No effect on lifespan, heart attack risk, or cancer risk—just, apparently, a waste of money.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out theother “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!

For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Soymilk: shake it up! and Eating To Extend Our Lifespan.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other “HHH” videos (Harmful, Harmless, or Helpful?). Also, there are over a thousand subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/evanbrand/ evanbrand

    The work of dr matthias rath and, possibly, other sources, would suggest that vitamin C offers significant benefits..

    Second, is frozen fruit and, specifcally, frozen acai limited or void of nutritional benefit? If so, what can US residents do to get optimal acai?

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/laurie-k/ Laurie K.

      Hello Evanbrand, yes, indeed you (and the others) are correct, vitamin C does have healthful benefits…if it’s obtained by eating whole foods. When you get your vitamin C from sources such as mangos, papayas, cantaloupes and yams, for example, you get other nutrients and antioxidants that are also vital for optimal health, like the beta carotene that is also abundant in these foods. The video discusses vitamin C from supplements, which can not only be a waste of money, but can be potentially detrimental to your health, particularly in large doses like vitamin A, see:http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/herbalife®-supplement-liver-toxicity/ There is also evidence that rather than protecting from disease, multivitamins can actually increase the risk of breast cancer: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer/ Also, I wouldn’t put so much emphasis on one particular “superfood”, because there are many others that contribute to longevity, like cocoa (but of course without the milk and sugar that many folks tend to add for palatability), see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/kuna-indian-secret/ and: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/new-antioxidant-superstars-2/. If you want to include acai in your diet, no need to concern yourself with the freezing process, it has very little (if any) impact on the quality and/or amount of antioxidants it contains. You should make every effort to eat a widely varied, plant based diet to ensure that you get as many phytonutrients as possible. It’s also very economical to eat this way, see: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/superfood-bargains-2/ Have a wonder, healthy holiday!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mjordana/ mjordana

    Hmm, I think Dr Greger is being entirely too dismissive of the powers of Vitamin C in convenient supplement form. Just note that in the antioxidant study he draws on for many of his videos, namely The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs, and supplements used worldwide, Vitamin C (specifically, CVS Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid), 500 mg) has 1,019.69 mmol/100g of antioxidant content. Compare this with the paltry 261.53 mmol/100g of antioxidant content of powdered amla (Indian gooseberries) which he lauds so much. Almost 4 times more! I rest my case.

  • GC

    Hi Dr. Greger. I am currently taking D-Mannose for “IC-Like” symptoms (mainly urinary retention/trouble emptying). I was going to take Glucosamine in addition, but I was advised to take high doses of Vitamin C instead to help repair the bladder wall. What do you think?

    • DrDons

      As always it is important to get the diagnosis right. Many common problems with bladder function reflect difficulties with muscle, hormones, lifestyle and aging. Others seem to be inflammatory and involve the bladder itself. Bladder Pain Syndrome of which Interstitial Cystitis(IC) is a subcategory is a poorly understood group of conditions of unknown cause which are difficult to treat. As a primary care physician I have had several patients plus one relative with the diagnosis of IC. I think it is best to find a physician who is experienced with treating patients with IC and who uses evidence based therapies. From my experience foods seem to have a significant effect on many bladder conditions but it can be hard to figure out. I think keeping a food diary is important to see if you can relate certain foods to improvement or aggravation of symptoms. If the problem seems to be one of the inflammatory conditions such as IC it would seem reasonable to follow a plant based diet with an emphasis on foods that improve the immune function and emphasize antiinflammatory over inflammatory foods while avoiding substances such as caffeine and alcohol which can have a detrimental effect. I would view the videos under the appropriate links. These include videos on the importance of a variety of plant foods in decreasing inflammation see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/garden-variety-anti-inflammation/ or the importance of avoiding meat to minimizing inflammation see http://nutritionfacts.org/video/inflammatory-remarks-about-arachidonic-acid/. Lifestyle issues such as sleep see… http://nutritionfacts.org/video/sleep-immunity/ and exercise seem to help. I would only try isolated nutrients or therapies that have been supported in the literature and would discontinue them if after a fair trial they don’t seem to help. It is very important to work with your physicians to help sort all this out. Good luck.

      • GC

        Thanks, DrDons! I’m 25 and I’ve been plant-based for almost a year now, getting plenty of leafy greens, superfoods, and avoiding processed foods. I avoid alcohol since I know all too well that it makes it worse. I had all those unpleasant tests performed when I was younger and they could not find anything, but sent me for biofeedback, anyway, and prescribed Detrol. The biofeedback didn’t do anything but the Detrol helped a tiny bit (not enough to keep taking it, and I also did not like the ingredients in the drug). I’ve tried many others things including naturopathic medicine, diet modifications, bodywork, rebirthing, energy healing, and acupuncture. The only thing that helps is holistic Chiropractic, but only if I get adjusted at least twice a week, and still it does not provide the relief I am looking for. Rebirthing/Breathwork also helped once, it was the only relief I’ve had in YEARS, but then it stopped. I have noticed that it is worse if I am angry, anxious, or emotionally irritated about something, so I try to stay calm. I read that “pockets” can form in the bladder wall and trap bacteria (but does not show up on tests), which can lead to IC-like and UTI-like symptoms including urinary retention, and women suffering from the same thing suggested D-Mannose. I’m going to try it for a few months and see if I notice a difference.

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