Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C by Hilary Roberts, Steve Hickey

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Synopsis

The relationship between vitamin C and health has been controversial for decades. Influential scientists, including double Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling, have argued that ascorbate could prevent or cure serious diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and infections. Conventional experts disagreed, disparaging supplements in favour of fruits and vegetables.

This book explores the facts behind the controversy. It examines the history of vitamin C, starting with James Lind's classic 1747 experiment on scurvy: a turning point in the application of science to medicine. This simple experiment is used to illustrate the scientific method and demonstrate how the medical establishment, with its emphasis on large-scale trials, has come to value pathological science more highly than solid, replicable experiments.

The authors show that much criticism of vitamin supplementation is misguided: the recommendation that supplements are redundant if the person consumes five daily portions of fruit and vegetables is based on unsound science. For over half a century, research into vitamin C has been hindered by failure to understand how the vitamin is used by the body. This book re-evaluates the evidence and presents a new, dynamic flow model for the action of ascorbate. In the light of the new model, the vitamin C controversy is resolved.

At first sight, the claims for vitamin C in heart disease, infection and cancer appear astonishing. However, the reported benefits have a scientific basis and demand to be considered seriously. The failure of the medical establishment to perform critical follow-up experiments may have resulted in much suffering and countless deaths. For this reason, the book lists the experiments necessary to restore respectability to the scientific evaluation of ascorbate. If even a few of these hypotheses are confirmed, readers will understand why Linus Pauling was prepared to stake his scientific reputation on vitamin C.