What vitamin C has to do with Clinical Trials Day

What is International Clinical Trials Day?

International clinical Trials Day, also known as Clinical Trials Awareness Day or just Clinical Trials Day for short, is when everyone across the world commemorates the day James Lind started his study to determine the cause of scurvy, which has a relation to vitamin C.

James Lind was a surgeon mate on board the HMS Salisbury of Britain’s Royal Navy fleet patrols the English Channel at a time when scurvy is thought to have killed more British seamen than French and Spanish arms.

Acting on a hunch that scurvy was caused by breakdown of the body that could be cured through the introduction of acids, Lind recruited 12 men for his “fair test.”

By dividing 12 sailors into separate groups and testing the effect of providing different treatments to each group, Lind was able to provide evidence of the link between fruit and preventing scurvy. This is the first recorded controlled clinical trial and changed modern medicine.

From The James Lind Library:

Without stating what method of allocation he used, Lind allocated two men to each of six different daily treatments for a period of fourteen days. The six treatments were: 1.1 litres of cider; twenty-five millilitres of elixir vitriol (dilute sulphuric acid); 18 millilitres of vinegar three times throughout the day before meals; half a pint of sea water; two oranges and one lemon continued for six days only (when the supply was exhausted); and a medicinal paste made up of garlic, mustard seed, dried radish root and gum myrrh.

Nowadays, International clinical Trials Day is a day for all of us to raise awareness of the importance of clinical trials and research in healthcare and to honour clinical research professionals across the globe.

Why May 20^th?

May 20^th, 1747 was the day James Lind started his study to determine the cause of scurvy.

What is Scurvy?

Scurvy is a disease caused by severe and chronic vitamin C (ascorbic acid) deficiency.

While scurvy is not common in modern society, it still exists today. If your diet does not contain enough vitamin C, you are at risk of developing scurvy.

The symptoms of scurvy range from mild symptoms like fatigue, nausea, and loss of appetite, to more severe like swollen, spongy and purplish gums that are prone to bleeding, severe and easy skin bruising, and bleeding into the joints and muscles.

Your body does not make or store (for long) vitamin C. For example, if your diet includes no vitamin C at all, the average onset of symptoms for scurvy is about four weeks.

How much vitamin C do I need?

The amount of daily vitamin C you need depends on your age.

According to the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), children 13 years or younger need between 15 to 50 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C every day. This amount is equivalent to 1 lemon or ½ medium white grapefruit.

Adolescents aged 14 to 18 years need around 65 mg for girls and 75 mg for boys. One kiwifruit contains about 64 mg of vitamin C, and 1 large potato will give you about 73 mg of vitamin C.

For adults aged 18 years or older, it is recommended that 75 (females) to 90 mg (males) of vitamin C a day, and the upper limit is 2,000 mg a day. One cup of strawberries provides about 98 mg of vitamin C, while 1 cup of orange juice is equivalent to 124 mg of vitamin C per serving.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women actually need more vitamin C than the average daily adult requirements. It is recommended that pregnant women need around 85 mg a day, while breastfeeding women should have 115 to 120 mg of daily dose of the vitamin to supplement for their newborn child.

Too much dietary vitamin C can be harmful. Vitamin C overdose (> 2,000 mg a day) might cause:

Diarrhea
Nausea
Vomiting
Heartburn
Abdominal cramps
Headache
Insomnia

For most people, a healthy diet should provide enough vitamin C.

If you smoke, you will likely need to add 35 mg extra to the above values to meet your daily recommended vitamin C intake.

What are the best foods for vitamin C?

Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of vitamin C. You can get recommended amounts of the vitamin by eating a variety of foods and fruits like oranges, berries, broccoli, and kiwifruit or drinking their juices.

Keep in mind prolonged storage and cooking (steaming or microwaving) may reduce the vitamin C content of the foods.

Luckily, many fruits and vegetables, can be eaten raw.

Why do we need vitamin C?

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin that supports normal growth and development and helps your body absorb iron.

In the body, it acts as an antioxidant, which helps protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals (oxidative damage). Free radicals are compounds formed when your body converts the food you eat into energy.

You are also exposed to environmental free radicals from cigarette smoke, air pollution, and ultraviolet light from the sun.

Moreover, your body needs the vitamin to make collagen for wound healing. Vitamin C also enables your body to absorb iron from plant-based foods and improves your immune system to fight against diseases.

Can vitamin C protect you from the flu and other diseases?

Besides scurvy, the connection between vitamin C and the common cold/flu and diseases is not clear.

Although the vitamin has long been used as a remedy for the common cold, research shows that, for most people, it supplements do not reduce the risk of getting sick. However, people who have a healthy diet or take vitamin C supplements regularly seem to have slightly shorter colds or somewhat milder symptoms then those who don’t.

People who eat lots of fruits and vegetables seem to have reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers believe that the antioxidant content of these foods might be partly responsible for this association because oxidative damage is a major cause of cardiovascular disease.

But, whether the vitamin , either from food or supplements, helps protect people from cardiovascular disease is not certain. It is also not clear whether the vitamin helps prevent cardiovascular disease from getting worse in people who already have it.

There is no clear evidence whether taking high doses of the vitamin is helpful against cancer: people with high intake may have a lower risk of getting many types of cancer like lung, breast, and colon cancer.

Vitamin C dietary supplements and other antioxidants might interact with chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer. People being treated for cancer should talk with their oncologist before taking vitamin C or other antioxidant supplements, especially in high doses.

How does Clueo Clinical celebrate International Clinical Trials Day 2020?

To celebrate Clinical Trials Day this year, on May 20^th, 2020, Clueo Clinical is offering the community 5 x AUD $1000 Scholarships to contribute towards the cost of any of Clueo Clinical educational products (programs & courses) PLUS one-year FREE Membership with Clueo Clinical Society (valued at AUD $300).^*

The scholarship is open to all part-time or full-time tertiary STEM/Health students, and all working professionals aged 20 and above with no prior clinical research experience.

For more information and to apply, click HERE.

Application is open now until 5pm AEST on 17^th June 2020.

^*Terms & conditions applied

References

Author

Dr. Thu (Sue) Nguyen, PhD

Sue is the founder and managing director of Clueo Clinical Pty Ltd. She has over 14 years of combined experience in clinical and pre-clinical research and development, training and management. She is passionate about patient-centric science, clinical research, education, and helping others find their career passion and succeed in life. She is an avid learner, an authentic networker and wants to empower the next generation to reach their fullest potential in Australia and around the world.