Too Much Vitamin C?

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Can too much vitamin C overwhelm the immune system?

Too Much Vitamin C?

Your mother called you today and said that she heard too much vitamin C and too much vitamin E are bad for your health. Too much sugar, you say, will harm you. Not too many vitamins. Vitamin dosage varies from person to person, and too much immunity...no such thing! Bring on the zinc, selenium, and echinacea with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. In 2000, an upper limit of 2,000 mg per day had everyone and your mother afraid of stomach cramps, an increased risk of cancer, diarrhea, and other good stuff. Plus, people with too much iron (hemochromatosis) said, "No, ve don't want to pump up." In 2001, Dr. Dean Ornish recommended taking 1,000 mg a day, but on the other side of the coin, some sources advise that when you're exposed to significant stress (like a move...to Iraq), 20,000 mg dosages aren't out of the question. You are an individual, completely separate from your mother, aunt, father, or anyone else. You decide how much vitamin C to take, especially if you're sick--you may need to take 1,000 to 6,000 mg a day to restore your immune support system in several doses, since your body can't absorb more than 1,000 mg in a single dose. Current wisdom holds that it's a good idea to include the other immune system boosters, or to take vitamin C as part of an immune system antioxidant formula with flavonoids and vitamin E. You can get too much sugar, and sometimes, you can get too much advice. Tell your mom to relax--that nauseated feeling could be from worry over the latest "new shocking health study."

   

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