New year, new vitamin C discovery: It 'cures' mice with accelerated aging disease

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology ^ | Jan 4, 2009 | Unknown

[decimon]

New research in the FASEB Journal reports vitamin C reverses abnormalities caused by Werner syndrome gene, including cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart failure and high cholesterol

A new research discovery published in the January 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) suggests that treatments for disorders that cause accelerated aging, particularly Werner's syndrome, might come straight from the family medicine chest. In the research report, a team of Canadian scientists show that vitamin C stops and even reverses accelerated aging in a mouse model of Werner's syndrome, but the discovery may also be applicable to other progeroid syndromes. People with Werner's syndrome begin to show signs of accelerated aging in their 20s and develop age-related diseases and generally die before the age of 50.

"Our study clearly indicates that a healthy organism or individuals with no health problems do not require a large amount of vitamin C in order to increase their lifespan, especially if they have a balanced diet and they exercise," said Michel Lebel, Ph.D., co-author of the study from the Centre de Recherche en Cancerologie in Quebec, Canada. "An organism or individual with a mutation in the WRN gene or any gene affected by the WRN protein, and thus predisposes them to several age-related diseases, may benefit from a diet with the appropriate amount of vitamin C."

Scientists treated both normal mice and mice with a mutation in the gene responsible for Werner's syndrome (WRN gene) with vitamin C in drinking water. Before treatment, the mice with a mutated WRN gene were fat, diabetic, and developing heart disease and cancer. After treatment, the mutant mice were as healthy as the normal mice and lived a normal lifespan. Vitamin C also improved how the mice stored and burned fat, decreased tissue inflammation and decreased oxidative stress in the WRN mice. The healthy mice did not appear to benefit from vitamin C.

"Vitamin C has become one of the most misunderstood substances in our medicine cabinets and food," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. "This study and others like it help explain how and why this chemical can help to defend some, but certainly not all, people from premature senescence." ###

Receive monthly highlights from the FASEB Journal by e-mail. Sign up at http://www.faseb.org/fasebjournalreaders.htm. The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) is published by the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). The journal has been recognized by the Special Libraries Association as one of the top 100 most influential biomedical journals of the past century and is the most cited biology journal worldwide according to the Institute for Scientific Information. FASEB comprises 22 nonprofit societies with more than 80,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. FASEB advances health and welfare by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences through service to its member societies and collaborative advocacy.

Details: Laurent Massip, Chantal Garand, Eric R. Paquet, Victoria C. Cogger, Jennifer N. O'Reilly, Leslee Tworek, Avril Hatherell, Carla G. Taylor, Eric Thorin, Peter Zahradka, David G. Le Couteur, and Michel Lebel. Vitamin C restores healthy aging in a mouse model for Werner syndrome. FASEB J. 2010 24: 158-172. http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/abstract/24/1/158

[decimon]

Cat’s away ping.

[csmusaret]

Is there nothing left that can kill a mouse?

[GOP Poet]

Thanks for the post and love your comment on your second post

Cat's away ping.

LOL. :-).

[Uri’el-2012]

google vitamin c pauling

[Oldpuppymax]

Well THANK God! I mean, anything that will keep mice living longer just HAS to be a real breakthrough, right!

[Republic]

Thank you for a terrific laugh today! :^0

[Scythian]

And they’re moving to take suppliments off the market as we speak ...

[Republic]

Thanks for that link- clicked on several articles about this man and his research-impressive fellow and now I am off to up my Vitimin C! LOL!

[T Minus Four]

Is the nothing left that can kill a mouse?"

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

I have FINALLY found a non-acidic form of vit C — ascorbyl palmitate! I’d had it before, but only in tablet or powder form. But now it’s in capsule form. NOW brand.

[hadit2here]

"Our study clearly indicates that a healthy organism or individuals with no health problems do not require a large amount of vitamin C in order to increase their lifespan, especially if they have a balanced diet and they exercise," said Michel Lebel, Ph.D., co-author of the study from the Centre de Recherche en Cancerologie in Quebec, Canada. "An organism or individual with a mutation in the WRN gene or any gene affected by the WRN protein, and thus predisposes them to several age-related diseases, may benefit from a diet with the appropriate amount of vitamin C."

Aha! Therein lies the rub! Just how can the average person get a "balanced diet" when it has been known since 1938 that the mineral content of our farm land has been depleted. And how does one determine whether they are getting an adequate amount of Vit C? Surely, no one can rely on any government figures, as they have all been pretty much proven to be wrong. Ask a doc to check your vitamin levels and they look at you like you're nuts. Then they have to go look up how to do it or what tests to order, because they never learned any of that stuff, especially from the drug reps that they get most of their CE and 'disease' info from.

Doctors have no schooling in health, unless they get it after they graduate from medical school. Likewise, nutrition. The AMA and Big Pharma have been trying to ban supplements for years, so they can continue to sell their product to un-healthy people.

Watch any of the teevee ads for Big Pharma drugs and pay close attention to the "side effects" and "adverse reactions". I especially like the one where they say that taking the drug could result in "rarely, death".

Thanks, but I'll stick with my vits and supplements, and skip the visit to the doc, unless I need stitches or some other similar type of medical intervention because of wounds or injuries.

[neverdem]

thanks, bfl

[CougarGA7]

Plenty of things. Last time I checked just about everything causes cancer in mice. But then again I thing these guys take a 10 lb bag of sugar, drop it on a mouse then say “excess glucose causes internal hemoraging, shortness of breath, and brittleness of me bone.”

[Tom_Busch]

From the Linus Pauling Institute:

Although ascorbyl palmitate is also available as an oral supplement, it is likely that most of it is hydrolyzed (broken apart) to ascorbic acid and palmitic acid in the digestive tract before it is absorbed.

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminC/

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

Interesting link, thanks.

[TennesseeGirl]

Bookmarked http://www.fasebj.org. Thanks.

[diamond6]

Pauling is mentioned at the Quackwatch website :(