What is vitamin C?
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps the immune system and fights free radicals.
What exactly are free radicals and why are they important?
Free radicals are highly reactive and unstable molecules that are produced naturally in the body as a by-product of metabolism (oxidation) or by exposure to environmental toxins such as tobacco smoke and ultraviolet light. Free radicals have a lifespan of only a fraction of a second, but in that time they can damage DNA, sometimes resulting in mutations that can lead to cancer or accelerate ageing.
Why administer high-dose vitamin C?
According to numerous studies and publications, high-dose vitamin C can be used in the treatment of cancer, painful menstruation, menopause, fatigue, pain, cosmetic treatments, rejuvenation and possibly other conditions. In fields such as oncology or gynaecology, subcutaneous intravenous injections of high-dose vitamin C are used in many countries to compensate for pain or the effects of chemotherapy treatments.
How is vitamin C taken?
Vitamin C can be consumed/administered in the following ways:
Effervescent tablet to drink
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C is 110 mg/day for both men and women. This figure is easily achieved by a diet rich in fruit and vegetables.
Vitamin C supplements are generally taken in doses of 100 to 200 mg, but much higher doses are used in various treatments.
Vitamin C supplements are rapidly absorbed by the body and the excess (around 80%) excreted in the urine, which is why they need to be taken several times a day to maintain an adequate blood dosage, depending on the desired treatment.
High doses (over 1g) can cause heartburn, diarrhoea and urinary tract stones. It is therefore difficult to administer high doses.
It is impossible to increase your vitamin C intake orally to 15, 25 or even 50 g, as this would destroy both your stomach and your kidneys.
Swallowable liposomal tablet
The term ‘liposomal’ refers to a substance encapsulated in a liposome. This is a small, spherical, artificially formed vesicle with a lipid outer wall (composed of fatty acids) and an aqueous inner cavity (composed of water). Depending on whether it is lipophilic or hydrophilic, the substance will be included in the wall or in the cavity to be transported in the body beyond the stomach for better assimilation by the body.
Unlike effervescent tablets, liposomal tablets pass through the intestinal barrier and deliver most of the active substance.
Liposomal vitamin C increases absorption and is ideal for daily consumption, particularly to prevent colds. But it will not be strong enough to combat other, more debilitating illnesses.
This type of tablet is used as a supplement, between intravenous injections, to maintain a high level of vitamin C (antioxidant) in the blood.
The dose is normally 3 tablets/day.
Intravenous injection
The only way to take vitamin C in very high doses is intravenously. This bypasses the difficult passage through the intestinal barrier. The absorption time is much shorter, and the renal elimination threshold is not reached. The recommended dose should be progressive (25 g to 50 g), depending on the patient's tolerance and the pathologies to be treated.
Vitamin C injections are virtually impossible to carry out in all countries. It's not forbidden, but there isn't really in all countries approved product available to carry them out. Today, only 1 ml ampoules of Laroscorbine24 are available in France. It is therefore impossible to give an injection of at least 50 grams.
In Germany, intravenous vitamin C injections are much easier to administer. In particular, there is a product called Pascorbin, which makes injections easier.
Pascorbin 7.5gr/50ml is a product authorised in Germany and available from pharmacies.
Injections should be given in the doses prescribed by a doctor and under the medical supervision of a doctor or nurse.
Some clinics use them to treat cancer. They combine them with other types of treatment, such as vitamin B17 or alpha-lipoic acid.
Integrative centres have developed in Kehl, Berlin and Frankfurt. In Europe, these centres are also present in Austria and Lithuania. These treatments need to be administered over a period of several weeks.
- In very high doses: depending on the person's weight (up to 1g per kg) for certain cancers,
- As a course of treatment (illness, pain, cancer) of 7.5gr (a 50ml bottle) two or three times a week for six weeks.
The 7.5gr dose (50 ml) is dissolved in a bag of NACL (100ml - sodium chloride available from pharmacies) and injected into the patient.
To maintain a high level of vitamin C in the blood, the injections are supplemented with liposomal vitamin C tablets.
Le rôle de la vitamine C sur les cellules cancéreuses
La chercheuse Nadine El Banna (Université Paris-Saclay) étudie une molécule : la vitamine C. Jusqu’à présent, on savait qu’à faible dose, la vitamine C prévenait le stress oxydant. On sait aujourd’hui qu’à des doses plus élevées, cette vitamine augmente ce stress oxydatif, et ce tout particulièrement dans les cellules cancéreuses. Durant son projet, la chercheuse veut poursuivre ses investigations concernant le rôle antitumoral de la vitamine C.
Plus particulièrement, elle souhaite savoir quelle forme de la molécule est la plus efficace entre deux entités : l’acide ascorbique et le déhydroascorbate.
Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale : https://www.frm.org/fr/projets/vitaminec