Glycosylation Inhibition

The binding of glucose to proteins, a process referred to as glycosylation, leads to changes in the structure and function of many body proteins. In diabetes, excessive glycosylation also occurs with albumin (a blood protein) and the proteins of the red blood cell, lens, and myelin sheath. This glycosylation causes abnormal structures and functions of involved cells and tissues and contributes greatly to the complications of diabetes. For example, glycosylated LDL molecules (found in high levels in diabetics) do not bind to LDL receptors or shut off cholesterol synthesis in the liver. As a result, diabetics typically have elevated cholesterol levels and a significantly increased risk for atherosclerosis.

Fortunately, high dosage vitamin C supplementation (1,000 to 3,000 milligrams daily) significantly reduces glycosylated proteins, e.g., a reduction of 33 percent for glycosylated albumin.

Low Sperm Counts

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) plays an especially important role in protecting the sperm’s genetic material (DNA) from damage. Ascorbic acid levels are much higher in seminal fluid compared to other body fluids, including the blood. When dietary vitamin C was reduced from 250 milligrams to 5 milligrams per day in healthy human subjects, the seminal fluid ascorbic acid decreased by 50 percent, and the number of sperm that had damage to their DNA increased by 91 percent.55 These results indicated that dietary vitamin C plays a critical role in protecting against sperm damage and that low dietary vitamin C levels likely lead to infertility.

We know cigarette smoking greatly reduces vitamin C levels throughout the body. Even the Food and Nutrition Board, the organization that calculates RDAs, acknowledges that smokers require at least twice as much vitamin C as nonsmokers.56 One of the reasons a smoker may have a reduced sperm count is vitamin C depletion. In one study, men who smoked one pack of cigarettes a day received either 0, 200, or 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C. After one month, sperm quality improved proportional to the level of vitamin C supplementation; that is to say, as the level of vitamin C increased, so did sperm quality.

Nonsmokers appear to benefit as much from vitamin C as smokers. In one study, 30 infertile but otherwise healthy men received either 200 milligrams or 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C or placebo daily.58 There were weekly measurements of sperm count, viability, motility, agglutination, abnormalities, and immaturity. After one week the 1,000-milligram group demonstrated a 140 percent increase in sperm count, many as 60 percent of these patients develop sores, most of which occur within the first 5 days of hospitalization.

Analysis of vitamin C levels in 21 patients admitted to a hospital for hip fracture indicated that the patients who developed bed sores had vitamin C levels that were 50 percent lower than the patients who did not develop bed sores. Interestingly, low levels of /inc, vitamin A, and vitamin E were not associated with an increased risk of developing pressure sores.

The significance of this study is tremendous. Pressure sores are extremely painful and are often difficult to heal. If pressure sores could be prevented by maintaining optimal vitamin C levels, it would be a major medical accomplishment. Of course, over 20 years ago studies showed vitamin C was extremely effective in healing existing pressure sores in a double-blind study.61 How easy and cost effective would it be to add additional vitamin C to I.V. bags versus trying to deal with an extensive pressure sore?

Author Bio: Georgiy Kharchenko American Weight Loss Group LLC: Personal Trainer, Ephedra Products, Stimerex With Ephedra, lipodrene with ephedra

Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: supplements, vitamins, weight loss pills, ephedra, herbs, stimerex, lipodrene, ephedra products