Vitamin C may promote age-related cataract in women

Women who use high doses of vitamin C supplements may be at higher risk of age-related cataract, according to a new study in the Nov 18, 2009 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Women who used vitamin C supplements were 25 percent more likely than those who did not use to experience cataract exaction, the study found.

Early animal studies have shown adverse effects of high doses of vitamin C supplements on age-related cataract.

For the study, Rautiainen S and colleagues from Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and other organizations followed 24,593 women aged 49 to 83 who participated in the Swedish Mammography Cohort between September 1997 and October 2005.

The participants were surveyed for their lifestyle via a self-administered questionnaire and incidence of cataract in the study population was recorded. During the 8.2-year follow-up, 2497 cataract extraction cases were identified.

Women who used vitamin C supplements for more than 10 years were 46 percent more likely than nonusers to have cataract extraction.

Compared with women who did not use vitamin C, The risk was increased by 56 percent in women who used both hormone replacement therapy and vitamin C supplements and increased by 97 percent in those who used supplements and corticosteroid.

The researchers conclude "Our results indicate that the use of vitamin C supplements may be associated with higher risk of age-related cataract among women."

Vitamin C is found high in fruit and vegetables. It has been known for many health benefits.



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Vitamin C Prevents Heart Attacks

Dr. Dennis Ruskin - a respected Toronto Optometrist will be flying in snowy England this January and will spend a week studying with Dr. Sydney Bush, a distinguished English professor of optometry. I believe his research on the cause of coronary artery disease deserves a Nobel Prize. Here’s how you can benefit from his research.

What causes coronary attack? Authorities say it’s due to increased blood cholesterol, but I’ve questioned this theory ever since interviewing Dr. Linus Pauling (the only person to receive two Nobel Prizes).

Years ago, Dr. Pauling told me animals manufacture vitamin C, but humans do not. That’s why cats survived voyages to the New World while sailors died of scurvy. Goats produce 13,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily!

Why is vitamin C so important in preventing heart attacks? Brick walls are held together by mortar, and we all know what happens if mortar crumbles. Cells are glued together by collagen, and vitamin C is necessary to manufacture it and maintain its strength.

Dr. Pauling believed that an insufficient amount of vitamin C weakens coronary vessels, causing tiny cracks. Blood clots develop, and the result is lethal.

Years later, Dr. William Stehbens, professor of pathology at Wellington University, New Zealand, reported that mechanical stress from each heart beat causes coronary attacks. This added further evidence to Dr. Pauling’s theory that increased pressure along with poor coronary glue triggers heart attacks.

Now Dr. Bush has made another historic discovery. He prescribed high doses of vitamin C to patients suffering from eye infections and allergies. Luckily, he also took photos of the retina (the back part of the eye) before vitamin C was given and then one year later. The retina is the only part of the body where doctors can see arteries and veins.

To his surprise, he discovered that large doses of vitamin C caused cholesterol deposits to decrease in size, arteries became larger, and there was increased blood flow to the retina. What happens to arteries in the retina must also happen to arteries in the heart.

In effect, Dr. Bush’s research shows that atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) can be reversed and that the heart is not healthy until the eyes say so. This finding could save millions from premature coronary death, and it should have made headlines around the world.

Dr. Pauling also advised the use of lysine along with vitamin C. Lysine is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. Lysine has the ability to inactivate bad cholesterol, decreasing the risk of heart attacks.

Since returning to Canada I’m convinced that ideally everyone, particularly those at greater risk of heart attack, should have a retinal photo taken. If life-threatening changes are visible, this is a great motivator to change lifestyle habits and start treatment with vitamin C and lysine.

I’m acutely aware that this approach to preventing coronary attack will be criticized by mainstream medical thinking. But I hope that some physicians, particularly cardiologists, will have an open mind on this matter.

Retinal photos take just a few minutes and in most cases do not require drops in the eye.

Dr. Dennis Ruskin, a respected Toronto optometrist, is willing to take retinal photos and e-mail them to Dr. Bush in England. Dr. Bush will then use his years of experience to determine if treatment is required to help circumvent the risk of coronary attack and other cardiovascular problems.



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