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From: werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Vitamin C can cause Ulcers (?!)
Message-ID: <1586@aecom.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 14-May-85 19:11:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: aecom.1586
Posted: Tue May 14 19:11:59 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 16-May-85 01:07:12 EDT
Distribution: na
Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
Lines: 27


	Reported quite often in the literature are cases of people on strict
vegetarian diets taking massive doses of Vitamins, including/especially
Vitamin C.
	Partly as a result of malnutrition (lack of protein) and partially
as a result of increased acidity (both to extremely high levels of Ascorbic
Acid - which is Vitamin C and lack of the normal buffering capacity that
proteins serve in the stomach on their way to digested)  these people have
extremely high rates of gastric and duodenal ulcer.

	Of course, it may be argued that the more enlightened vegetarians/
Megadosers are more rational and escape detection by the medical system.
The same argument could be made, however, for those people who try home
cancer remedies and don't recover.  They never live to tell the virtues of
non-conventional cures.

	Of course, complications with Vitamin C are rare compared to some of
the problems that occur with Vitamin A overdose (skin rashes, cataracts, and
other nasty things).

	Now who was it on the net who was saying that Vitamins were 
innocuous ....?

-- 
				Craig Werner
				!philabs!aecom!werner
		What do you expect?  Watermelons are out of season!