Linus Pauling was a strong advocate for high-dose vitamin C, not just for the common cold, but also against cancer. Until now, there hasn’t been much evidence to support the use of this nutrient as an anticancer compound. But investigators at the University of Kansas have demonstrated that large doses of infused vitamin C may indeed play a role in treating ovarian cancer.
Laboratory data demonstrated that intravenous ascorbic acid (vitamin C) killed cancer cells in rodents. A clinical trial involving 27 women found that those receiving IV vitamin C had fewer side effects from their chemo medicines and no obvious toxicity from the vitamin C. The next step will be to determine whether IV vitamin C added to chemotherapy produces a clinically beneficial response in addition to reducing the toxicity of paclitaxel and carboplatin.
