I was interested to come across a reference in Chemistry in Britain for October that scientists at the University of Alabama had claimed that large doses of vitamin C may be effective in relieving stress. This should increase popular demand for what is already a highly rated vitamin.
The findings are based on experiments with megadoses of ascorbic acid given to rats subjected to the stress of immobilisation in a cage for one hour every day for three weeks. A daily dose of 200mg of ascorbic acid, equivalent to human doses of several grams, was administered. Measurements of the corticosterone level in the stressed animals indicated that the vitamin reduced them to one third of control levels. Among other benefits were alleviation of weight loss, increase in thymus and spleen size, and enlargement of the adrenals.
In addition, the vitamin increased IgG antibodies by a fifth, thus raising the level of resistance against disease. It is suggested that large quantities of ascorbic acid in the diet may inhibit the production and functioning of endogenous vitamin C and so decrease adrenocortical hormone secretion, and that the effect of the vitamin upon stress levels may reflect this effect.