How much C is too much?

[Meerschaum]

I have heard C can conditionally be jacked way the hell up IE:20,000MG a day for someone with an infection and not cause any probs, but if your not sick and you take more than 1000MG a day you will (over time) develop kidney stones and other problems.

Whats the truth?

EDIT: Vitamin C, not to be confused with cocaine or some other narcotic

 

[TheUsual]

I have heard C can conditionally be jacked way the hell up IE:20,000MG a day for someone with an infection and not cause any probs, but if your not sick and you take more than 1000MG a day you will (over time) develop kidney stones and other problems.

Whats the truth?

Vitamin C is good.

 

[Iron Warrior]

I do 1500 mg. and have done that for 4 years now. No problems yet. It is a water soluble vitamin so it will be excreted by the body if not needed. I wouldn't do more than 2 grams daily for the long term though and I don't see the need for bigger doses unless you get a cold or another infection.

Off topic, but Linus Paulding (nobel prize winner) used 10-20 grams daily for most of his life and lived to be pretty old and healthy.

 

[IHateGymMorons]

Vitamin C doesn't doesn't isn't toxic so you can have like 5g and it's still flushed out of your system with no harm done. 2-3g/day is plenty.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Any vitamin can be toxic when the levels get too high. Taking 5g at one time is comletely overkill. 2-4g per day (especially pre-post workout) is what I recommend for my clients.

 

[IHateGymMorons]

vitamin C has been proven to be non-toxic on doses as high as 10g per day. Not that anyone needs to do that, especially at one dose.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

But is also has been shown to have zero improvement over 4g/day. So taking 5g at one time is pointless. And it still can be toxic at high levels and will become a pro-oxidant.

 

[lancelot]

you know when you've done too much vit c when you have g.i. problems ie: diarrhea. also, being that you body can only absorb about 300mg of vit c at one time, you should spread out your dosages thruout the day. vit c is non-toxic and any excess is simply pissed out as it's a water soluble vitamin. best to get your vit c from fruits and veggies tho.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Not all excess will be passed if the amount is to large. It has to be a pretty large amount though. Also the absortion rate of 300-500mg is based on a 2000 calorie RDA diet and can also change depeding on the conditions of the individaul, especially an ahtlete participating in a resistance training program. I agree the diarrhea method is a good way of determining an individual tolerance.

"The truth is that our bodily reserves of Vitamin C fluctuate according to how much is needed to buttress the immune system, scavenge free radicals, regulate cholesterol and sugar metabolism, repair wounds, etc. etc...."

Sandra Goodman Ph.D

 

[Jag]

Any vitamin can be toxic when the levels get too high. Taking 5g at one time is comletely overkill. 2-4g per day (especially pre-post workout) is what I recommend for my clients.

Bobo,

does Vit.C have any effect on pre training stimulants like ephedra?
i've noticed when taking my with my Stacker2 that the stimulation isn't as intense.

Jag

 

[DieTrying]

It has also been proven that Vitamin C is one of the few vitamins/minerals that the body grows a tolerance for. In other words, if you take say 5 g of it ed for an extended period of time, you're immune system will not be 2x stronger than that of somebody who takes 2.5 grams. I'll look for the study.

I take around 1500-2 grams everyday, but when I'm not feeling too well I'll take an extra 500 mgs and I can tell a difference.

 

[exnihilo]

I have read research that indicates that the pro-oxidant effects of large doses of vitamin C may be the reason that it acts as an effective "immune booster". Free radicals are very important to immune function.

I have also seen a study done on NAC/C (given that there is athletic lore about these substances boosting recovery post workout) and the result was that there was actually an increase in markers used to measure inflammation with the C/NAC group above a certain dose (which wasn't even that high, I believe it was a 1 or 2G of C and 1.6G of NAC) thus demonstrating that large doses of C/NAC actually HINDER recovery. I wish I'd saved the study, it was interesting...

Ex Nihilo