Written by Chrystal Moulton, Staff Writer. Intravenous vitamin C therapy offers many health benefits including its use as a potential chemotherapeutic agent.
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient required for collagen formation and immune system function. However, over 50 years of research suggests that vitamin C may also be effective in combating some forms of cancer. The earliest experiments utilizing vitamin C were done in 1952 when researchers injected vitamin C in patients to treat infectious diseases such as scarlet fever, tuberculosis, pelvic infection, and pneumonia with encouraging results. (1) Since that time, Linus Pauling, a very prominent voice in science and nutrition along with other researchers suggested vitamin C should be considered as a viable tool for fighting chronic disease particularly cancer. (2, 3) Despite all the research on the use of vitamin C as a chemotherapeutic agent, very few hospitals and physicians utilize this form of treatment. However, researchers from the Riordan Clinic in Kansas City have developed a protocol for utilizing vitamin C intravenously, which they have applied to fight various forms of cancer including breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung, pancreas, renal, skin, blood, bladder, and bone cancer. Their established protocol is a result of clinical trials they have conducted in both animals and humans together with the work of their fellow colleagues in the field. In the current review, we will summarize some of their findings. (3)
In general, when vitamin C is ingested it passes through the GI tract and is absorbed via the small intestine into the blood stream. (4, 5) Vitamin C accumulates specifically in the brain, adrenal glands, and some white blood cell types. Furthermore, the body tightly regulates the amount of free ascorbate in plasma. (3) Research demonstrates that cancer patients frequently have a deficiency in vitamin C. (2,3) Clinical researchers at Riordan have also found this to be a fact while administering vitamin C intravenously to cancer patients. They found that peak plasma values for intravenous vitamin C are usually less than those found in healthy adults. Only after multiple infusions with injectable ascorbate are patients able to achieve normal plasma ascorbate levels; however, these achievements are attained slowly over time as vitamin C reservoirs are replenished. (3) Once plasma ascorbate levels are within normal range, researchers found significant improvement in overall health and quality of life. In previous studies as well, where physicians utilized intravenous vitamin C to combat various forms of cancer, results showed reduction in tumor size and biomarkers of disease, increase in survival rate, and overall improvement in health and general well-being. In most cases, patients used intravenous vitamin C and other supplements in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation. (3) According to in vitro and in vivo studies, the mechanism in which vitamin C reduces tumor size is by causing a build-up of peroxide in tumor cells leading to cell death. (6,7) Also, vitamin C prevents the growth of new blood vessels designed to feed the tumors and also reduces inflammation in certain forms of cancer. (3)
Some individuals, however, are concerned with a possible interaction between chemotherapeutic drugs and ascorbate. Chemotherapeutic drugs act in various ways to halt tumor growth and metastasis. As stated above, vitamin C also contributes to tumor cell death by causing a buildup of peroxide within tumor cells. (6,7) Contrary to the concerns of most doctors, research has found that vitamin C does not interfere with the drugs’ ability to act as prescribed and, in some cases, enhances the effect of chemotherapeutic drugs, thus suggesting the possibility of reducing the effective chemotherapeutic dose. (3, 8, 9)
So far, phase I trials demonstrate the safety of intravenous vitamin C therapy with very few side effects. In doses as high as 710 mg/kg/day [or roughly 50 g/day in an adult weighing 70 kg] for up to 8 weeks, researchers found no effect on renal function or blood parameters. Side effects noted were mainly nausea, edema, and dry mouth or skin. In another experiment, 24 individuals with advanced stage liver and colorectal cancer were given 28-125 grams of vitamin C intravenously three times weekly. Peak plasma concentrations of 10 mM were achieved without serious side effects. (3) However, although intravenous vitamin C has been used safely in patients with various forms of cancer, longer trial times are needed to fully discover both the safe and effective dose. Researchers at the Riordan clinic also noted that individuals with pre-existing conditions, especially kidney problems must be treated with caution. Furthermore, patients who qualify for intravenous vitamin C treatment must begin with low doses steadily increasing the dose over time to meet effective peak plasma values. However, effective plasma values may vary based on the form of cancer and the specific kind of cell involved. (2) For this, more research will be needed.
Overall, intravenous vitamin C remains a viable option for treatment against various forms of cancer in individuals who qualify. Physicians at the Riordan Clinic as well as others in the past who have pioneered this alternative form of treatment have seen significant improvements in their patients. However, more research is needed to determine dose ranges necessary to achieve effective plasma concentrations for various forms of cancer cell lines. Nevertheless, clinics like Riordan, who have perfected their approach to administering injectable vitamin C through clinical trials, are definitely closer to finding the answers both patients and fellow physicians are looking for.
To view Riordan Clinic’s full IVC protocol or to learn more about the procedure please visit: www.ivcacademy.org.
Source: Riordan, H. D. “The Riordan intravenous vitamin C (IVC) protocol for adjunctive cancer care: IVC as a chemotherapeutic and biological response modifying agent.” The orthomolecular treatment of chronic disease”, edited by AW Saul, Basic Health Publications, Inc (2014): 750-766.
Posted November 23, 2015.
Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.
References:
- McCormick WJ. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) as a chemotherapeutic agent. Archives of Pediatrics NY, Volume 69, Number 4, April, 1952, p 151-155.
- Duconge J, et al. Pharmacokinetics of vitamin C: insights into the oral and intravenous administration of ascorbate. P R Health Sci J. 2008 Mar;27(1):7-19.
- The Riordan IVC Protocol for Adjunctive Cancer Care: Intravenous Ascorbate as a Chemotherapeutic and Biological Response Modifying Agent, February 2013. Riordan Clinic Research Institute. https://riordanclinic.org/research-study/vitamin-c-research-ivc-protocol/
- Levine M, Katz A, Padayatty S. Vitamin C. Chapter 31 in Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 10th ED. Shils ME, et al. eds. 2006; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
- McGregor GP, Biesalski HK. Rationale and impact of vitamin C in clinical nutrition. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2006 Nov;9(6):697-703.
- Ranzato E, Biffo S, Burlando B. Selective ascorbate toxicity in malignant mesothelioma: a redox Trojan mechanism. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2011 Jan;44(1):108-17.
- Takemura Y, et al. High dose of ascorbic acid induces cell death in mesothelioma cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010 Apr 2;394(2):249-53.
- Martinotti S, Ranzato E, Parodi M et al. Combination of ascorbate/epigallocatechin-3-gallate/gemcitabine synergistically induces cell cycle deregulation and apoptosis in mesothelioma cells. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2014 Jan 1;274(1):35-41.
- Volta, V., Ranzato, E., Martinotti, S., et al. (2013). Preclinical Demonstration of Synergistic Active Nutrients/Drug (AND) Combination as a Potential Treatment for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. PLoS ONE, 8(3), e58051.
