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In 1922, two scientists from the University of California identified vitamin E as a fertility factor in rats and used green vegetables and wheat germ as a source (Evans et al., 1922).

Scurvy was an epidemic among sailors who spent months on the high seas without fresh fruit or vegetables. In 1919, it was widely accepted that an isolated factor from citrus fruits could cure scurvy. In 1932, this factor was produced as vitamin C, and in 1933, it was renamed ascorbic acid (anti-scurvy acid).

In 1971, Linus Pauling (two-time Nobel Prize winner) recommended supplementation of vitamin C in high doses to prevent and treat colds as well as cancer and heart disease. Many benefits of vitamin C have been attributed to its role as a cofactor in the production of connective tissue (collagen), which is found in bone, skin, and vascular metabolism. The dose was set at 10–12 grams per day. To reverse arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), he recommended 3–5 grams of vitamin C per day and 2 grams of L-lysine per day. On top of that, he also recommended vitamin C for cancer therapy. Pauling considered a dosage of 50 to 100 milligrams per day, which was considered sufficient for adults at that time, to be too low to have an optimal effect. However, his views and his vitamin C studies were not taken seriously by the scientific community, as the effects he suspected could not be proven in several clinical studies. However, a survey published in the journal Science in 2015 suggested, based on new molecular biology findings, that vitamin C does indeed have an anti-tumor effect (1–5). Several years ago, research at John Hopkins University showed that the growth of colon cancer cells (and other types as well) is driven by mutations in two genes, which promoted the formation of unusually high numbers of membrane transport proteins for glucose, or sugar. Glucose and glutamine are the main nutrients for cancer cells, so more transport proteins are needed in these cells for precisely that purpose. Vitamin C inhibits glucose metabolism in the cells and the cancer cells suffer from starvation, so to speak, since they are denied this source of energy. The administration of vitamin C for tumor therapy has a controversial history. While some clinical trials have demonstrated benefit, others have failed to confirm it.11 This discrepancy can be attributed, at least in part, to how vitamin C is delivered. Oral vitamin C therapy, unlike parenteral administration (injected into the veins or muscles) therapy, cannot achieve concentrations lethal to cancer cells. Intravenous therapy can achieve much higher concentrations in the blood with dosages of 7.5 to 45 grams per infusion.