VITAMIN-C AND HUMAN HEALTH - A REVIEW OF RECENT DATA RELEVANT TO HUMAN REQUIREMENTS

The recent scientific literature indicates that beyond merely protecti ng against scurvy vitamin C contributes to many aspects of human healt h. The main areas of research reviewed include: 1. Vitamin C requireme nts of smokers. The darn indicate that the vitamin C requirement of sm okers is higher by at least 60 mg per day (up to 140 mg per day) than that of nonsmokers. 2. Important functions of the body, such as immune response, pulmonary function, and iron absorption are related to vita min C intakes. Daily vitamin C intake of at least 150-200 mg per day e nhance these functions. 3. Vitamin C may play critical roles irt the p revention of CHD, cancer and cataract. Based on the available data, vi tamin C intakes of at least 80-120 mg per day are associated with lowe ring the risk of these chronic diseases. 4. The literature documents t hat these and much higher intake levels of vitamin C are safe.