Vitamin C and Cancer

Oral Vitamin C is a fantastic supplement for cancer that I highly recommend to everyone, for both cancer prevention and treatment, because of its potent immune-enhancing properties. The late Linus Pauling, who was one of the most influential biochemists in history and a two-time Nobel Prize winner, was among the first scientists to prove that high doses of Vitamin C are lethal to cancer. In his book Cancer and Vitamin C, he shares detailed accounts of cancer patients who experienced significant increases in their life expectancies, including some complete remissions, as a result of high dose Vitamin C treatments.[i]

Today, most integrative doctors using vitamins and herbs for cancer believe that the US Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C is too low, at 500 mg daily. The USRDA guidelines are based on the minimum amount that’s needed to prevent scurvy and are not what the body needs to function optimally—never mind a body that is fighting cancer. Most people need anywhere from 1,000-12,000 mg of Vitamin C daily. When it comes to Vitamin C and cancer, the average amount that I recommend to my patients is about 8,000 mg. If you just want to prevent cancer, I recommend taking 4,000 mg daily.

One type of Vitamin C that you may want to try is liposomal Vitamin C, which is encased in phospholipids, or fats that come from sunflower lecithin. The phospholipids increase your body’s ability to absorb and utilize the vitamin. Liposomal Vitamin C is more expensive than other types of Vitamin C for cancer, but because it is more bioavailable, your body absorbs and utilizes more of it so you don’t need to take as much.