notpain

The RDA is about 60mg which means nothing. Read Dr. Linus Paulings work, Dr. Frederick Klenner, Dr. Saul. There have been NO studies to show any problems from taking Vitamin C at high levels. Even those few who suggest it might not cause kidney stones have never been able to prove it. Large doses of vitamin C may interfere with the body's absorption of copper and selenium; be sure to get enough of these minerals (copper, about 3 mg; selenium, about 100 mcg) through food or supplements. I personally use this same brand, although there have never really been studies to prove it's any better than other Buffered Calcium supplements (other than their own sponsered hype). Who knows how many mg's of "bioflavinoids" are helpful? I take between 5 an 10 per day spread out during the day. For some reasons humans don't make their own (many theories) while most mammals make large amounts. Because it is water soluable and will quickly leave your system (within 12 hours) depending on how much water you drink, toxic levels do not get stored up. But what would be a toxic level? I have supplemented as much as 10 to 15,000mg's per day for 2 weeks with no ill effects. As you up your supplementation you reach what is called "bowel tolerance" which means you get diarrhea. At this point you take a bit less than the amount that caused it. Many physcians in the past (before modern meds - I'll leave that alone for now) used incredibly high amounts as treatments for illness. As high as 150 grams per day intravenously. I have done my share of vitamin C reasearch and can find no occurances of vitamin c related death. You're body will let you know if you are taking too much - tummy ache and diarrhea. I also read a study where participants took 10 grams (10,000 mgs) for 2 years with no ill effects. So the question really does become: How much should I take for optimum health benefits? Again you have to listen to your body. Take 1 to 2 pills a day for a couple of days (2 500mgs = 1,000mgs) and see how you feel. Does it help? If it seems okay keep at that dosage. If not then up it a bit. As mentioned spread your dosage out over the day. Another important question is how much can you actually absorb? Who knows. No point in peeing it away (wasted money). If you are ill you can take much more than when you are well, somehow your body knows to use it. Vitamin C is probably the safest Vitamin there is. Linus Pauling took over 10 grams per day and lived to be 93. I read about a Physican (an MD) that took 6 grams per day for years, and had post nasal drip. He claims the day he upped to 9 grams per day it stopped. There is no solid evidence that C "cures" anything, but there is eveidence that it can help with a lot of conditions. The great thing is there are really no worries about experimenting. I wouldn't worry at all about experimenting up to 10 grams per day maybe even up to 20. Just go slow and if your stomach bothers you or you get diahhrea then stop. Tons of material available online on this subject. Many opinonions, but few would question it's safety. And if you do get diahhrea it doesn't last long as the body flushes this vitamin pretty fast. Drink lots of water! Make sure you check on Selenium and Copper levels if you go over 1 gram per day for a few weeks. And if you are really concerned about a Vitamin, figure out how much Magnesium is in your diet, as it is the most undersupplemented (and needed) mineral, especially if you consume dairy (which I don't).