New Insights on Vitamin C and Cancer

Research on vitamin C and its effects on cancer is growing in popularity around the world as positive research continues to accumulate building a stronger case for its effectiveness. This concise SpringerBrief on Vitamin C and Cancer presents the latest findings on how vitamin C induces apoptosis. A high concentration of vitamin C allows for ascorbate to generate hydrogen peroxide in tissue that can selectively kill cancer cells. Research has confirmed that high-dose vitamin C is cytotoxic to a wide variety of cancer cell lines, and that it also boosts the anti-cancer activity of several common chemotherapy drugs. Vitamin C also does more than just kill cancer cells. It boosts immunity by stimulating collagen formation to help the body wall off the tumor. It inhibits hyaluronidase, an enzyme that tumors use to metastasize and invade other organs throughout the body. This concise and up-to-date Brief is geared towards cancer researchers and scientists, as well as physicians interested in the basic science and the translational potential of vitamin C in cancer therapeutics.

Dr. Michael J. Gonzalez is Professor at the Nutrition Program, School of Public Health in the Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico. Dr. Gonzalez is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition, and has authored over 150 scientific publications. He has served as a member on several scientific journal Editorial Boards, such as Biomedicina, the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, and Alternative Medicine Reviews. As a consultant for several companies, he has been responsible for designing formulations of nutritional supplements and pharmaceutical products. He has been a consultant for The Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning (now Riordan Clinic), in Wichita, Kansas. He has obtained several research awards for his work on Nutrition and Cancer. He is currently Co-Director of RECNAC II project, and Research Director of the InBioMed Project Initiative. Dr. Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, is Professor at the School of Pharmacy in the Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, and a Registered Pharmacist. Author of numerous scientific publications including editorials, reviews and research data in peer reviewed journals, Dr. Miranda-Massari is a consultant for the prestigious Center for the Improvement for the Human Functioning, in Wichita, Kansas. He is also Director of the Education Branch of the innovative InBioMed Project and Clinical Research Director of the RECNAC-II Project, specialized in Cancer Research. He is the creator of the first course in Integrative Medicine (Interdisciplinary Classification at a Doctoral Level), and the Advanced Practicum in Integrative Medicine at the School of Pharmacy, Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.