JACN Did you know that you can get alerts when a new issue is online?
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Johnston, C. S.
Right arrow Articles by Corte, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Johnston, C. S.
Right arrow Articles by Corte, C.

Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol 15, Issue 6 586-591, Copyright © 1996 by American College of Nutrition

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Vitamin C depletion is associated with alterations in blood histamine and plasma free carnitine in adults

C. S. Johnston, R. E. Solomon and C. Corte
Department of Family Resources and Human Development, Arizona State University, Tempe 85287-2502, USA.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether carnitine metabolism or histamine degradation would be useful parameters for investigating the optimal requirement for vitamin C. METHODS: Twenty-two non-scorbutic subjects with subnormal vitamin C status (plasma vitamin C < 28 mumol/L) were placed on a metabolic diet low in vitamin C for 3 weeks and repleted with graded doses of vitamin C: 10, 30 and 60 mg vitamin C daily (group 1) or 10,125 and 250 mg vitamin C daily (group 2) for weeks 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Fasting blood samples were collected weekly and analyzed for plasma vitamin C, plasma free carnitine and blood histamine. RESULTS: Group 1 subjects remained in a subnormal vitamin C state throughout the 3-week study, and blood histamine and plasma free carnitine were not impacted by the experimental treatment. Plasma vitamin C in group 2 subjects rose significantly during the study, and these subjects finished the study with an ample vitamin C status indicative of vitamin C intakes above the recommended dietary allowance. Both blood histamine and plasma free carnitine were inversely related to vitamin C status in group 2 subjects. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that blood histamine and plasma free carnitine are altered in individuals with subnormal, non-scorbutic vitamin C status and provide evidence that metabolic changes independent of collagen metabolism occur prior to the manifestation of scurvy. Thus utilizing scurvy as an end-point to determine vitamin C requirements may not provide adequate vitamin C to promote optimal health and well-being.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Am. Coll. Nutr.Home page
C. S. Johnston and L. L. Thompson
Vitamin C Status of an Outpatient Population
J. Am. Coll. Nutr., August 1, 1998; 17(4): 366 - 370.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1996 by the American College of Nutrition.