Deficiencies

DEFICIENCIES

Nutritional deficiencies are far more common than most people imagine. If someone does not have a classical deficiency disease (e.g., scurvy, rickets, berberi) – or if nothing shows up lacking on a blood test – then most doctors assume that the patient in question does not have any nutritional deficiencies. But classical diseases and low blood readings show up only in extreme cases, when the body has been severely deprived of one or more nutrients for a very long time. Long before the body reaches such advanced stages, however, it gives off subtle warning signs ("subclinical" symptoms) to warn its owner that corrective action is necessary.

Hypoascorbemia
Every human being has an inborn, genetic weakness called hypoascorbemia. What this term means is that our bodies cannot produce ascorbate (vitamin C) in our livers the way that other mammals do. Since our bodies cannot produce this vital liver metabolite, the only way we can get it is to depend on external dietary sources. That is why sailors used to die from scurvy if they traveled too long without fresh fruits and vegetables.

It takes three enzymes to convert glucose into ascorbate. The human liver has two of these enzymes, but lacks the third – L-gulonolactone oxidase. This fact suggests that the human liver underwent a mutation way back in time. Perhaps our ancient ancestors lost the ability to produce ascorbate when they located in the fertile valleys and rainforests that provided their diets with abundant vegetation. Since there was so much ascorbate available from external sources, the liver’s ability to produce it atrophied from disuse. Other species that have undergone the same genetic mutation include the ape family, guinea pigs, bulbuls, and fruit-eating bats – all of whom consume copious amounts of ascorbate in their natural food supply.

Ascorbate plays an active part in many bodily processes. It helps to:

Manufacture collagen.
Strengthen blood vessels.
Manufacture hemoglobin in red blood cells.
Secrete adrenal hormones.
Protect against viral and bacterial infections.
Assimilate iron.
Produce natural antihistamine.
Produce interferon, an internal anti-cancer agent.
Neutralize free radicals.
Re-cycle vitamin E.
Manufacture lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that dissolves the fatty plaque that accumulates on artery walls.

Ascorbate Deficiency
Scurvy is the name given to the most advanced stage of ascorbate deprivation, just before death. Some of the early symptoms of this condition include :

Tendency to bruise easily.
Gums bleed easily, especially when brushing teeth.
Fleeting pains in limbs and joints.
Hemorrhages in the eye or under the skin.
Lack of endurance, tire easily.

Many, many adults have three or more of the above symptoms. Scurvy still exists. We just don’t recognize it by that name anymore. Other signs of ascorbate deficiency include:

Bluish-red, swollen or inflamed gums.
Loose teeth, loss of dental fillings.
Cuts, sores or wounds heal slowly.
Catch infections, colds, flu or viruses easily.
Cuticles tear easily.
Excessive hair loss.
Restlessness, irritability.
Nosebleeds.
Bloating or puffiness in face.
Anemia.
Fragile bones.

How Much Vitamin C?
When all functions of ascorbate are considered, much more is needed than the minimal amounts suggested by standard vitamin charts. Animals that do produce ascorbate internally do so at an equivalent rate for humans of from 2,000 to 12,000 mg. daily (comparing in terms of relative body weight). Demands for ascorbate soar during times of stress, fear, or infection. It is our inability to produce ascorbate on demand makes us vulnerable to many diseases. Animals that are able to produce their own ascorbate, for example, do not develop heart disease.

Those who smoke are at particular risk of ascorbate deficiency. Each cigarette uses up about 25 mg. of vitamin C. Therefore, smokers lose collagen elasticity much faster than the non-smoking population. The most obvious sign of this condition is premature wrinkling of the skin – otherwise known as "smoker’s face."

Monkeys’ livers, like ours, cannot synthesize ascorbate. Researchers have found that if they do not add enough vitamin C to the monkeys’ diets, these animals become easy prey to infection, disease and death. Research monkeys are expensive. To protect this investment, it is necessary to give them 70 times the amount of vitamin C that governments recommend humans take (when converted to an equivalent weight basis).

It takes about 40 oranges to yield 2,000 mg. of vitamin C per day – the minimum that each adult human body would produce internally if it could. It may be possible for a few rare individuals in sound health and with low stress levels to get all the ascorbate they need by consuming huge amounts of fresh vegetables and fruits, but the vast majority of us need to supplement our diets with vitamin C in order to achieve optimum health. Hypoascorbemia contributes to many, many disease processes. The safest course is to assume that every human lacks sufficient vitamin C until proven otherwise. If a person can afford to take only one dietary supplement, vitamin C is the wisest choice. It is the only one that can compensate for the genetic weakness that all humans share.

Here is a reliable self-test to determine the minimum amount of supplementary vitamin C each individual needs to take to maintain health: On the first day, take a measured amount of vitamin C (e.g. 500 or 1,000 mg.). The second day take double this amount. The third day triple it, and so on, in ever increasing amounts day by day. At some point, a level of intake will be reached at which a small percentage of vitamin C spills over into the urine, turning it a bright orange or bright yellow color. For most adults, this effect occurs somewhere between 500 and 4,000 mg. daily. It will also vary from day to day – much more being required when a person is ill or under stress. The idea is to take at least as much vitamin C as needed each day to produce brightly colored urine. If the urine turns pale, it is the body’s way of signaling that more ascorbate is needed.

To find the optimum amount to take, continue the above self-test by increasing daily vitamin C supplementation until bowel tolerance is reached. That will be the point at which the vitamin C produces either loose stools or flatulence. Then, reduce the daily intake by one third and that is the optimal supplementary level. For example, if bowel tolerance is reached at a daily intake of 12,000 mg., then 8,000 mg. will be the optimal level to take to help the body both to overcome disease and to build superior wellness.

Which C is Best?
With vitamin C, simpler is usually better. High tech supplements are often not worth the extra cost and sometimes are not even as effective as plain old ascorbic acid.

Timed release vitamin C is a concept that works better in theory than in practice. The intention is to take one tablet that releases its vitamins gradually throughout the day. Unfortunately, some individuals pass these tablets (partially or completely intact) into the toilet bowl via their stools. Not everyone’s digestive tract is able to break down the progressive layers of waxy coatings on timed release vitamins. It is usually more effective to take regular vitamin C (i.e., non-timed release), but to take it in divided amounts throughout the day, preferably with meals.

It is the ascorbate molecule that the body needs to support its hypoascorbic weakness. Whatever else may accompany this ascorbate (in food or supplements) is of secondary importance. Ascorbic acid (hydrogen ascorbate) is the most commonly available form of vitamin C. It has a mildly acidic effect – which can actually aid digestion if the ascorbic acid is taken with meals. Buffered forms of vitamin C (e.g., calcium ascorbate, magnesium ascorbate) are non-acidic and are more easily tolerated by those with hypersensitive digestive tracts. If ascorbic acid does not produce any form of gastric distress, then buffered forms of vitamin C are not usually worth the extra expense.

Plant sources of ascorbate also provide flavonoid co-partners (e.g., citrus bioflavonoids, hesperedin, rutin, proanthocyanidins). In the human body these flavonoids both support and enhance the action of ascorbate. For that reason it is often beneficial to include flavonoids in vitamin C supplements, in what is often referred to as a "C-Complex". Animals that produce ascorbate in their livers, however, produce only ascorbate and no flavonoids. It is thus the ascorbate molecule that the human body requires in large amounts to compensate for its innate hypoascorbemia. Flavonoids provide additional benefit but need be taken only in relatively small amounts to be effective.

Contrary to popular myth, "synthetic" vitamin C is every bit as effective as "natural" vitamin C – because both are one and the same. Commercially produced ascorbate is made from glucose outside the body in exactly the same way that animals make it from glucose in their livers, by subjecting it to the very same enzymes. The resultant ascorbate molecule is identical in both cases. Ascorbate is ascorbate, whether it is extracted from rose hips, produced in the liver of a Billy goat, or synthesized from corn starch.

Acerola cherries are the richest known plant source of ascorbate. Yet, they contain only about 1.6 per cent ascorbate by weight. A tablet containing 1,000 mg. of ascorbate made entirely from acerola cherries would be the size of a golf ball and would be prohibitively expensive to make. Don’t believe claims that a high potency vitamin C product is made entirely from acerola cherries (or rose hips, or any other plant source). The manufacturer uses the same commercially produced ascorbate as everyone else and merely adds a sprinkling of the fruit or berry in question.

Many people confuse the terms, "natural" and "synthetic." They are not opposites; in fact, they overlap. The true opposite of "natural" is "artificial". A product that is synthetic (i.e., manufactured) can be either natural or artificial, depending on its molecular structure. The commercially produced water soluble vitamins (C, B-complex) are completely natural. The synthetic fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E), however, are artificial. Their molecules are different from their natural counterparts and are handled quite differently by the body, either less efficiently or with greater potential for toxicity.

Because of hypoascorbemia, Vitamin C is essential to both building health and overcoming disease – for everyone. Most people tend not to take enough vitamin C for all of their bodily needs. Nutritional experts often underestimate its importance. Manufacturers tend to stint on the amount of vitamin C they put into their complex vitamin formulations, simply because of the expense. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, however. Many nutritional attempts to overcoming disease fail because they do not provide everything the body needs to do its own healing and in sufficient amounts.

Other Deficiencies
Because of hypoascorbemia, almost every human can derive health benefits from supplementing with vitamin C. The same case does not necessarily hold for other nutrients. Each person has unique biochemical requirements for certain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and essential fatty acids. Certain genetically strong people can eat pretty much what they like, not take supplements and rarely get ill. These rare individuals are becoming fewer and farther between, however. Environmental pollution and stressful lifestyles make increasing demands for key nutrients – at the same time that under-vitalized soils and over-processed foods are making nutrients less available. It is a safe bet that we could all benefit from taking vitamin C. It is also a safe bet that most of us could benefit from taking other supplements as well – although just which ones and how much depends on the individual.

Biologically we are not created equal. We have different fingerprints, voices and outward appearances. Internally we are just as different. Certain organs may be genetically weak or differ in size, shape or ability from person to person. Such physical differences often result in widely differing needs for specific nutrients from person to person. Research suggests that some people may need from four to 40 times the amount of certain nutrients that others do.

We also differ in our ability to utilize nutrients. As we age, our production of digestive juices declines. Some of us have inefficient intestinal absorption. The best food in the world is of little benefit if we cannot absorb from it the nutrients our bodies require.

If the body is deprived of specific nutrients for long enough, it will develop certain diseases. Examples of what may be called "classical deficiency diseases" include scurvy (vitamin C), rickets (vitamin D), beriberi (thiamine), pellagra (niacin), kwashiorkor (protein), marasmus (protein-calorie), and goiter (iodine). These are all advanced stages of disease than can be quite serious and life threatening. Because we rarely see textbook cases of these diseases today, many believe that nutritional deficiencies are not a significant threat to health. Not so.

Long before the body develops a full blown deficiency disease, it gives off subtle warning signs. For example, bleeding gums, easy bruising and joint pains are three conditions that can be caused by insufficient vitamin C. A person who has all three of these symptoms may be on the way to developing a full blown case of scurvy. We might say that this person has a "sub-clinical" deficiency – one that is not yet advanced enough to show up on laboratory tests.

All of the known clinical and sub-clinical deficiency symptoms for all known nutrients add up to a very long list. Suffice it to say that virtually every degenerative condition involves a lack of certain nutrients. Cells that do not get the specific raw materials they need in sufficient quantity cannot function properly; they deteriorate and eventually die.

In order not to suffer from deficiency, two conditions must be met: (1) Every nutrient must be in the diet in adequate amounts. (2) It must also get to every cell that needs it. Digestion, absorption and assimilation are not uniform from one person to the next. Owing to such variables as genetic weaknesses, lifestyle and stress, some people have much higher requirements than others for specific nutrients. Therefore, nutritional requirements differ significantly from person to person.

It is a mistake to look for just one deficiency as a possible cause for a particular condition. Nutritional deficiencies occur in clusters. Soil that is depleted has losses from all of its minerals. The more food is processed, the more losses it has from all of its vitamins. Nutrients are synergistic; they work together in orchestrated teams. Lack of performance from one member of the team reduces the output of the others on the same team. For example, a person’s body may be lacking in four nutrients – but it may need to supplement with a total of twelve different nutrients – because the four in question depend on the presence of eight others for their effective utilization.

In the ideal medical model, one tries to find a single drug to counteract each disease. The more drugs one takes, the more likely they are to conflict with one another and to create additional risks. Nutrition is just the opposite. Single nutrients are rarely effective. One needs to find the most effective "smorgasbord" of factors that give the body everything it needs to do its own normalizing.

If you would like to learn more about how deficiencies of specific nutrients tend to produce certain symptoms, a good book to read is The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book (2^nd ed.), by Shari Lieberman, PhD and Nancy Bruning (ISBN 0-89529-769-8). If you would like to learn more about how your particular symptoms may be related to certain deficiencies – i.e., your own biochemical individuality – consult my manual; Listen to Your Body.

This work, "Nutritional Solutions" has a different focus from the two books mentioned above. It mentions only those deficiencies directly related to disease in question – as part of a multi-focused approach to overcoming that particular condition.