The information here is pulled from one of the sections of Chapter 3 in the
book Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins by Thomas E. Levey, MD,
JD, with additional information from the abstracts of the referenced medical
studies. I am quoting (the indented sections) from the book, but I am including
the references for each pertinent piece with the appropriate section, rather
than at the end of the section as Dr. Levey does in the book.
This is not to say that vitamins will prevent the *pain* associated with UV
exposure that some of us get when we're out during the day, but it will reduce
or eliminate any actual physical UV damage and sunburn that we get. As with
all things, the key is the proper amounts: Vitamin C in powder or capsule form,
rather than hard tablets to start with. The amount you'll need will depend on
your body's requirement for vitamin C and what form you're taking it in. Tablets,
I'd recommend crushing them and mixing them in orange juice or something. You'll
probably need more of the tablet form than the other two. Powdered gives you
fastest results, because it mixes well with drinks, even though it makes them
sour. :) Remember bowel
tolerance levels for Vitamin C.
Anyway, here's the pertinent bits I thought would be useful here. The
bits highlighted in blue are what I found particularly interesting and
relevant, in the context of what I have quoted:
While not a physical substance in the sense of other toxins discussed, radiation
is very much a toxic agent that has very clear and pronounced toxic effects.
Like the other toxins discussed, the evidence shows
clearly that vitamin C can help to prevent the damage induced by radiation
and repair the damage that had already occurred from a previous radiation
exposure. The specific type of radiation being addressed here is "ionizing
radiation", as distinguished from "nonionizing radiation".
The nonionizing type includes radiation such as light, radio waves and radar
waves. This kind of radiation is generally considered harmless because the
effects of such radiation are not pronounced and immediately measurable with
current technology. On the other hand, ionizing radiation produces destructive
effects, usually measurable as a flood of free radicals including other indicators
of oxidative stress and immediate cellular damage. Typical examples of ionizing
radiation include X-rays, gamma rays, and particle bombardments from neutrons,
electrons, protons or mesons. Glossary
[skipped: section on gamma radiation and vitamin
C's role in preventing radiation sickness - the paragraphs and the studies
referenced dealt with the effects of radiation in cancer treatments and things
like radioactive fallout. I personally find it fascinating background information,
but it draws attention away from the point here. ~Sphynx]
Although not technically classified as a form of ionizing
radiation, ultraviolet (UV) light appears to cause a similar type of tissue
damage. However, the wavelength of UV light does not allow for great
tissue penetration, and the damage inflicted is largely limited to the skin
or eyes. Vitamin C appears to play a significant role
in lessening this type of radiation damage as well.
Mireles-Rocha et al. (2002) noted that UV radiation absorption is responsible
for the production of free radicals glossary in damaged
cells. These are the skin cells that become sunburned when exposed to excessive
UV radiation. In a trial on healthy human volunteers, the authors looked at
the minimal UV dose needed to cause skin reddening (the early stage of sunburn).
They found that vitamin C and vitamin E taken orally
offered significant protection against this form of radiation damage.
[These effects were seen with
2,000mg of Vitamin C in Ascorbic Acid form, and 1,2000 I.U.'s of vitamin E
taken in combination for 7 days. ~Sphynx]
Study Authors: Mireles-Rocha, H., I.
Galindo, M. Huera, B. Trujillo-Hernandez, A. Elizadle, and R. Cortes-Franco
Year of Study: 2002
Study Summary: UVB photoprotection with antioxidants: effects
of oral therapy with d-alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid on the minimal
erythema dose.
Published in: Acta Dermato-Venereologica
82(1):21-24
Click for abstract in PubMed
/ MedLine
Eberlein-Konig et al. (1998) performed a similar study in a double-blind,
placebo-controlled manner. Glossary They
also found that a vitamin C and vitamin E combination taken orally reduced
the free radical-induced sunburn reaction.
[Quoting from the study itself: "OBJECTIVE:
Our purpose was to assess the protective effect of systemic vitamins C and
E against sunburn in human beings.......CONCLUSION: Combined vitamins C and
E reduce the sunburn reaction, which might indicate a consequent reduced risk
for later sequelae of UV-induced skin damage..." The effective dosages
used in this study were 2,000mg of Vitamin C and 1,000 I.U. of Vitamin E for
8 days. ~Sphynx]
Study Authors: Eberlein-Konig, B.,
M. Placzek, and R. Przybilla
Year of study: 1998
Study Summary: Protective effect against sunburn of combined
systemic ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and d-alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E).
Published in: Journal of the American
Academy of Dermatology 38(1):45-48
Click for abstract in PubMed
/ MedLine
Similar research has been conducted on the protective effects of vitamin
C against UV-induced skin damage in animals. Moison and Beijersbergen van
Henegouwen (2002) found that a topical (versus ingested)
application of vitamins C and E provided complete protection against the increase
in lipid peroxidation (oxidatitive stress, or free radicals) induced by the
exposure of pig skin to UVB (Ultraviolet light, type B) exposure.
[This study used eicosapentaenoic acid (an Omega
3 fatty acid found in fish oil) in combination with Vitamin C and E applied
to the skin. No dosage amounts were listed in the abstract. ~Sphynx]
Study Authors: Moison, RM. and Beijersbergen
van Henegouwen GM (2002)
Year of Study: 2002
Study Summary: Topical antioxidant vitamins
C and E prevent UVB-radiation-induced peroxidation of eicosapentataenoic
acid in pig skin.
Published in: Radiation
Research 157(4):402-409
Click for abstract in PubMed
/ MedLine
Kobayashi et al. (1996) examined the UVB-induced increase in free radicals
and inflammation in mouse skin. They found that injecting
a vitamin C derivative prior to UVB exposure significantly reduced a number
of laboratory indices of increased oxidative stress.
[This study used a ratio of 100mg per kilogram (I
think 1kg=2.2 pounds?) of body weight, injected intraperitoneally (into the
abdominal cavity?). ~Sphynx]
Study Authors: Kobayashi, S., M. Takehana,
S. Itoh, and E. Ogata
Year of study: 1996
Study Summary: Protective effect of
Magnesium-L-ascorbyl-2 phosphate against skin damage induced by UVB irradiation.
Published in: Photochemistry
and Photobiology 64(1):224-228
Click for abstract in PubMed
/ MedLine
Neumann et al. (1999) utilized a new biological model for determining the
toxicity of ultraviolet light using the embryonic yolk sacs of incubated hen
eggs. Although UVB alone induced "severe phototoxic
damage", vitamin C "led to a significant and remarkable reduction
of the UVB-induced damage." Interestingly, other anti-inflammatory
agents were also tested. Aspirin was less effective than vitamin C, and indomethacin,
a strong prescription anti-inflammatory drug, showed no protection at all
against the UVB-induced toxic effects.
Study Authors: Neumann, N., E. Holzle,
M. Wallerand., S. Vierbaum, T. Ruzicka and P. Lehmann.
Year of Study: 1999
Study Summary: The photoprotective effect
of ascorbic acid, acetylsalicylic acid, and indomethacin evaluated by the
photo hen's egg test.
Published in: Photodermatology,
Photoimmunology & Photomedicine 15(5):166-170
In studies of the protective effect of vitamin C against UVB toxicity on
cells or bacteria in culture, the results were similar to those noted above.
In human skin cells, Miyai et al. (1996) looked at a
"stable derivative" of vitamin C, finding the derivative improved
cell survival significantly after UVB exposure. There were also less
large DNA fragments in the debris of cells that were killed.
[Study shows protective effect of the vitamin C
derivative against UV-B induced damage to the skin. ~Sphynx]
Study Authors: Miyai, E., M. Yanagida,
J. Akiyama, and I. Yamamoto
Year of Study: 1996
Study Summary: Ascorbic acid 2-O-alpha-glucoside,
a stable form of ascorbic acid, rescues human kerotinocyte cell line, SCC,
from cytotoxicity of ultraviolet light B.
Published in: Biological
& Pharmaceutical Bulletin 19(7):984-987
Click for abstract in PubMed
/ MedLine
In a species of photosynthetic bacteria exposed to UVB, He and Hader found
that vitamin C "exhibited a significant protective effect on lipid peroxidation
and DNA strand breaks." They also found that the
presence of vitamin C resulted "in a considerably higher survival rate"
among the irradiated bacteria."
[The dosages used were not mentioned in the abstract.
Vitamin C - Ascorbic Acid form - was used in combination with N-acetyl-L-cysteine
(NAC), and makes the observation that Vitamin C protects the DNA strands.
~Sphynx]
Study Authors: He, YY and Hader, DP
Year of Study: 2002
Study Summary: UV-B-induced formation
of reactive oxygen species and oxidative damage of the cyanobacterium Anabaena
sp.: protective effects of ascorbic acid and N-acetyl-L-cysteine.
Published In: Journal
of Photochemistry and Photobiology. B, Biology 66(2):115-124
Click for abstract in PubMed
/ MedLine
UV light, like ionizing radiation, can also induce genetic damage and ultimately
cause cancer. Dreosti and McGown (1992) observed that vitamin
C pretreatment significantly lessened the microscopic evidence of chromosomal
damage in irradiated mice and irradiated mouse spleen cells (in vivo
and in vitro). glossary
[Study used Vitamin C and Vitamin E in combination,
and was given prior to radiation exposure. No dosages were mentioned in the
abstract. ~Sphynx]
Study Authors: Dreosti, I. and M.
McGown
Year of Study: 1992
Study Summary: Antioxidants and UV-induced
genotoxicity.
Published in: Research
Communications in chemical Pathology and Pharmacology 75(2):251-254
Click for abstract in PubMed
/ MedLine
Dunham et al. (1982) looked at the effects of supplemented vitamin C on the
incidence of UV light-induced skin cancers in mice. They
found that vitamin C afforded a "pronounced effect" in "decreasing
the incidence and delaying the onset of the malignant lesions"
in the mice studied."
[The study used the L-ascorbic acid form of Vitamin
C in 3 different dosage levels - .03%, 5% and 10% (percentage of WHAT is not
mentioned in the abstract...) - Vitamin C was observed to both delay the onset
of, and reduce the number of, malignant lesions. (They take longer to show
up, and there's less of them, as compared to the control group.) ~Sphynx]
Study Authors: Dunham, W., E. Zuckerkandl,
R. Reynolds, R. Willoughby, R. Marcuson, R. Barth, and L. Pauling.
Year of Study: 1982
Study Summary: Effects of intake of
L-ascorbic acid on the incidence of dermal neoplasms induced in mice by
ultraviolet light.
Published in: Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 79(23):7532-7536
Click for abstract in PubMed
/ MedLine
[Skipped: Author's information about radioactive
fallout and chapter conclusions. ~Sphynx]
double-blind
A kind of clinical study in which neither the participants nor the
person administering treatment know which treatment any particular subject
is receiving. Usually the comparison is between an experimental drug and a
placebo or standard comparison treatment. This method is believed to achieve
the most accuracy because neither the doctor nor the patient can affect the
observed results with their psychological bias. (In practice, sometimes the
results of who has the drug and who doesn't are unavoidably obvious.)
electrons
Stable elementary particles having the smallest known negative charge,
present in all elements; also called negatrons. Positively charged electrons
are called positrons. The numbers, energies and arrangement of electrons around
atomic nuclei determine the chemical identities of elements. Beams of electrons
are called cathode rays or beta rays, the latter being a high-energy biproduct
of nuclear decay.
free
radicals
Highly reactive molecules with an unsatisfied electron valence pair.
Free radicals are produced in both normal and pathological processes. They
are proven or suspected agents of tissue damage in a wide variety of circumstances
including radiation, damage from environment chemicals, and aging. Natural
and pharmacological prevention of free radical damage is being actively investigated.
Lipid peroxidation and oxidatitive stress are terms that mean similar, if
not exactly the same, thing as free radicals.
gamma
rays
Very powerful and penetrating, high-energy electromagnetic radiation
of shorter wavelength than that of X-rays. They are emitted by a decaying
nucleus, usually between 0.01 and 10 mev. They are also called nuclear X-rays.
In Vivo
Within the living body. (Generally means a live test subject.)
In Vitro
Within a glass, observable in a test tube, in an artificial environment.
mesons
Short-lived elementary particles found in cosmic radiation or produced
from nuclear disintegration. Their mass is between that of protons and electrons
and they can be negative, positive, or neutral. Pi-mesons (pions) are heavier
than mu-mesons (muons) and are proposed for cancer radiotherapy because their
capture and disintegration by matter produces powerful, but short-lived, secondary
radiation.
neutrons
Electrically neutral elementary particles found in all atomic nuclei
except light hydrogen; the mass is equal to that of the proton and electron
combined and they are unstable when isolated from the nucleus, undergoing
beta decay. Slow, thermal, epithermal, and fast neutrons refer to the energy
levels with which the neutrons are ejected from heavier nuclei during their
decay.
oxidative
stress
A highly oxidized environment within cells that is thought to promote HIV
replication because cells are forced into a highly activated state due to
loss of control of their regulatory systems.
placebo
<pharmacology> Any dummy medical treatment, originally, a medicinal
preparation having no specific pharmacological activity against the patients
illness or complaint given solely for the psychophysiological effects of the
treatment, more recently, a dummy treatment administered to the control group
in a controlled clinical trial in order that the specific and nonspecific
effects of the experimental treatment can be distinguished i.e., the experimental
treatment must produce better results than the placebo in order to be considered
effective.
protons
Stable elementary particles having the smallest known positive charge,
found in the nuclei of all elements. The proton mass is less than that of
a neutron. A proton is the nucleus of the light hydrogen atom, i.e., the hydrogen
ion.
