VITAMIN C HELPS FIGHT HEART ILLS, PAULING SAYS
Author: Associated Press
Date: Saturday, July 4, 1992
Page: 44
Section: NATIONAL/FOREIGN
SAN FRANCISCO -- Two-time Nobel laureate Linus Pauling said he has
discovered a new benefit of vitamin C -- fighting heart disease by regulating
a key protein -- but medical specialists were skeptical.
"I've never been so excited in my life before," Pauling, who was awarded
Nobel prizes for chemistry and peace efforts, told reporters Thursday.
Pauling, 91, has staunchly defended the efficacy of vitamin C in fighting
cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Scientists have reported that lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a natural human
protein that helps strengthen the arteries, may contribute to cardiovascular
diseases.
Lp(a) attaches itself to some forms of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL.
Too much LDL can cause atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup and lesions on
arterial walls, which can lead to heart attacks and other cardiovascular
diseases.
But Pauling said an excess of Lp(a) also can lead to atherosclerosis,
while a deficiency can lead to weak arteries.
Regulated vitamin C use can lower the amount of Lp(a), he said.
"Everybody needs to take good, large slugs of vitamin C every day," said
Pauling, who takes 18,000 milligrams a day, or 300 times the recommended daily
allowance.
Medical researchers have been reluctant to embrace Pauling's Lp(a)-vitamin
C theory because it has not yet been proven in clinical tests.
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