New Study Shows Vitamin C Boosts DNA Damage and Cell Death in Melanoma Cells

This study adds to what is now a growing body of evidence showing that vitamin C is an effective agent in the fight against cancer.

Further illustrating its increasing scientific support, a review published in 2021 describes how mounting evidence confirms vitamin C has the potential to be a potent anti-cancer agent when given intravenously in high doses. Authored by researchers from the Department of Medical Oncology at the University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the paper notes that clinical trials have confirmed the safety and indicated the efficacy of intravenous vitamin C (IVC) in eradicating tumor cells of various types. The researchers say that the implementation of high-dose vitamin C may be a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer patients with poor prognosis and few available treatment options.

The review analyzes pre-clinical and clinical studies using high-dose IVC as an anti-cancer agent. In doing so it points out that, unlike most other animals, humans are unable to synthesize vitamin C in their bodies and are therefore dependent on oral consumption of this crucial micronutrient. Acknowledging that the concept of utilizing vitamin C as a therapeutic agent for cancer care was first introduced by two-time Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling and physician Ewan Cameron almost half a century ago, the paper describes how high-dose IVC has re-emerged as a potent anti-cancer agent over the past two decades, with several clinical trials reporting high tolerability and safety.

To learn about the Dr. Rath Research Institute’s studies on the benefits of vitamin C and other micronutrients in combatting melanoma, see this article on our website.