[Therapeutic action of vitamin C on cholesterol metabolism]

As a part of the research work on the role played by Vitamin C on lipidic metabolism, the effects on man were considered that result from the administration of high vitamin C doses, chiefly with reference to the serum levels of colesterol, of total lipids and of triglycerides. Our research was conducted on male subjects of 65-90 years, who were administered 3 g/day of vitamin C for three weeks. Our findings show that the administration of high vitamin C doses causes a statistically significant decrease in colesterol, in total lipids and in triglycerides, in all the subjects under consideration. This takes place not only when colesterol, total lipids and triglycerides present normal serum levels, but also when such levels show an increase. Conversely, vitamin C significantly increases, with treatment, in all subjects treated, both in plasma and in leukocytes.