Can Vitamin C Dietary supplements Assist with Lead Poisoning?

“Even when a dietary manipulation is confirmed efficient in lowering blood lead ranges, reliance on such an intervention locations many of the burden for prevention on these most affected and least accountable for the underlying environmental causes of lead toxicity. Dietary interventions, due to this fact, must not ever substitute for efforts to cut back lead publicity to protected ranges. Alternatively, when used as an adjunct to environmental measures, some dietary adjustments might show to have advantages past any influence on lead toxicity.” For instance, consumption of vitamin C-rich meals might assist with “blood strain, blood lipid profiles, and respiratory signs,” along with maybe influencing “lead toxicity by means of an affect on absorption of lead, elimination of lead, transport inside the physique, tissue binding, or secondary mechanisms of toxicity,” that’s, even simply serving to ameliorate a number of the injury. However what is that this primarily based on?

In 1939, a exceptional examine was revealed, entitled “Vitamin C remedy in lead poisoning,” wherein 17 lead business employees got 100 mg of vitamin C a day, the quantity present in one or two oranges, and “with virtually all of them there was a marked achieve in vigor, colour of pores and skin, cheerfulness, blood image, urge for food and talent to sleep properly.” The 17 employees have been chosen as a result of they gave the impression to be in fairly dangerous form and probably even had scurvy, so it’s no marvel a little bit vitamin C helped. However vitamin C is an antioxidant, and oxidation is “an essential mechanism underlying lead toxicity,” so it’s conceivable that it could have mediated a number of the hurt. However, the vitamin C didn’t seem to only scale back the injury from the lead—it additionally lowered the lead itself. As you may see from 1:43 in my video Can Vitamin C Assist with Lead Poisoning?, the quantity of lead in a painter’s urine over a interval of a month after beginning 200 mg of vitamin C a day exhibited a five-fold drop, suggesting he was absorbing much less of the lead into his physique. He was considered one of three painters researchers tried this on, and evidently all three painters’ ranges dropped. The researchers concluded that these “uncovered to guide…ought to be suggested to incorporate of their eating regimen loads of such wealthy sources of vitamin C as tomatoes (recent or canned), uncooked cabbage, oranges or grapefruit, uncooked spinach (and even cooked, in little or no water), uncooked turnips, inexperienced bell peppers, cantaloupe, and so on.”

Now, this drop in lead within the topics’ urine was seen with solely three painters, and the examine didn’t have a management group of painters who didn’t take vitamin C, so maybe everybody’s lead ranges would have dropped for another motive or maybe it was only a coincidence. You don’t know…till you set it to the check.

These authentic knowledge have been so compelling that others have been impressed to attempt to replicate them. I imply, if it truly labored, if vitamin C might assist with lead poisoning, grapefruits may very well be handed out on the manufacturing facility door! The sooner examine didn’t have a great management group, however the researchers weren’t going to make that very same mistake this time. On this examine, half of the group obtained 100 mg of vitamin C a day—not only for a month however for a 12 months—and the opposite group obtained nothing. The outcome? “Cautious examine of a big group of lead employees failed to disclose any impact of ascorbic acid vitamin C…on the lead focus within the blood…or urine” (emphasis added). There was no distinction of their bodily situation and no adjustments of their blood work, so “no motive has been discovered for recommending using ascorbic acid vitamin C to reduce results of lead absorption.” What a disappointment. It seemed so promising!

At any time when I examine a subject, I attempt to learn the analysis chronologically so I can expertise the discoveries as they occurred all through historical past. At this level, although, I used to be so tempted to leap to a latest assessment to see what had occurred within the intervening 74 years since that first examine was revealed, however I didn’t need to spoiler alert! myself, so I saved studying the papers sequentially. There have been in vitro research the place researchers dripped antioxidants on lead uncovered cells and it appeared to assist, in order that they jumped on the cantaloupe bandwagon, too, however these have been check tube research.

The primary inhabitants examine was revealed in 1999, and, as you may see at 4:02 in my video, researchers did discover that these with excessive vitamin C ranges of their blood tended to have decrease lead ranges. Youths with the very best vitamin C ranges had an almost 90 % decrease prevalence of elevated blood lead ranges in comparison with these with the bottom vitamin C ranges. Now, this was a cross-sectional examine, only a snapshot in time, so we don’t know if the vitamin C brought about a drop in lead or if maybe the lead brought about a drop in vitamin C. Lead is a pro-oxidant, so perhaps it ate up the vitamin C. And who has increased vitamin C ranges? Those that can afford to have increased vitamin C ranges and eat a number of fruit and veggies. “Additionally it is doable that increased ascorbic acid ranges might characterize more healthy existence or higher socio-economic standing.” Certainly, perhaps decrease vitamin C ranges are only a proxy for being poor, and that’s the true motive for increased lead ranges.

There are many good causes to be consuming extra fruit and veggies, and we ought to be consuming extra spinach regardless, however it might be good to know if vitamin C truly helps with lead poisoning. And, to know that, we have to put it to the check.

Sadly, many of the revealed interventions will not be very useful, with such titles as “Results of dietary vitamin C supplementation on lead-treated sea cucumbers,….”  And, there’s a stunning variety of articles on the results of vitamin C supplementation on mouse testicles. Why? As a result of lead might impair male fertility. Certainly, lead employees seem to have a lowered probability of fathering youngsters, however this will partially be on account of oxidative stress. In that case, how about giving an antioxidant, like vitamin C, and placing it to the check(es)? No, I’m not speaking about rat testes or suggesting frog testes. Neither am I proposing crab testes. (I didn’t even know crabs had testicles!) Lastly, right here’s one to debate: “Scientific relevance of vitamin C amongst lead-exposed infertile males.” A examine of human males, which I’ll cowl in Yellow Bell Peppers for Male Infertility and Lead Poisoning?.

I’m at all times conflicted about writing these sorts of blogs and producing movies like Can Vitamin C Assist with Lead Poisoning?. I can think about some simply need “the reply,” however these with vested and industrial pursuits usually exploit that pure impulse. That is downside with science basically, however maybe significantly in vitamin. In terms of one thing as life-or-death essential as what to feed ourselves and our households we shouldn’t simply observe somebody’s opinions or beliefs on the matter. We must always demand to see the science. That’s what I attempt to do: Current the accessible knowledge as pretty and even-handedly as doable, and allow you to make up your personal thoughts. You may think about how simply somebody might cherry-pick only one or two research and current a distorted however compelling case for or towards, on this case, vitamin C dietary supplements. That’s why I really feel it’s essential to current every examine of their historic context. Keep tuned for the thrilling conclusion in Yellow Bell Peppers for Male Infertility & Lead Poisoning?.

 For these of you who’re considering, Why ought to I care about lead? I don’t eat paint chips or use leaded gasoline. Anyway, what’s the large deal?, take a look at my full sequence of lead movies for info on how we obtained into this mess and a number of the methods we are able to dig ourselves out:

• How the Lead Paint Trade Received Away with It
• Lead in Consuming Water
• How the Leaded Fuel Trade Received Away with It
• “Regular” Blood Lead Ranges Can Be Poisonous
• The Results of Low-Degree Lead Publicity in Adults
• The best way to Decrease Lead Ranges with Eating regimen: Thiamine, Fiber, Iron, Fats, Fasting?
• The best way to Decrease Lead Ranges with Eating regimen: Breakfast, Entire Grains, Milk, Tofu?
• Finest Meals for Lead Poisoning: Chlorella, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Moringa?
• Finest Meals for Lead Poisoning: Garlic
• Is Lipstick Protected Given the Lead Contamination?
• Can Saunas Detoxify Lead from the Physique?
• How A lot Lead Is in Natural Hen Soup (Bone Broth)?
• Lead in Calcium Dietary supplements
• Ought to Pregnant Ladies Take Calcium Dietary supplements to Decrease Lead Ranges?
• The Rise in Blood Lead Ranges at Being pregnant and Menopause
• Lead Contamination in Fish and Sport
• Lead Contamination in Scorching Sauces

In well being,

Michael Greger, M.D.

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