THE INFLUENCE OF VITAMIN-C ON CADMIUM-RETENTION IN PIGS

It is well known that absorption and retention of the toxic heavy meta l cadmium greatly depends on interaction with other dietary factors. R ecently we demonstrated that vitamin C is one of the most effective fa ctors reducing the cadmium burden in pigs. In a new feeding experiment with % pigs we studied the influence of different doses of vitamin C (500, 1 000, 2 000 mg/kg feed) as well as of different galenic forms o f vitamin C (silicon coated and polyphosphated vitamin C). Supplementa tion of 500 mg vitamin C per kg of diet already reduced cadmium burden in renal cortex and in liver by 40 %. The stabilized forms of vitamin C were as effective as regular vitamin C in this respect. Vitamin C t herefore helps to improve the quality of food gained from animals for human consumption.