Blood dehydroascorbic acid and diabetes mellitus in human beings

Ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid were estimated in the blood of normal healthy subjects and diabetic patients. In normal subjects, blood contained only ascorbic acid while dehydroascorbic acid was practically absent. The ascorbic acid level was low in the blood of diabetic patients but the dehydroascorbic acid content was remarkably high, irrespective of age, sex, history of diabetes, or treatment. About 75% of blood dehydroascorbic acid was present in the erythrocytes: the rest was in plasma. High blood dehydroascorbic acid levels were also found in 90% of the non-diabetic offspring with both parents diabetic, in 24% of the non-diabetic offspring with one parent diabetic, and in 75% of the non-diabetic siblings of diabetic patients. It appears that, in persons having an hereditary predisposition to diabetes, high blood dehydroascorbic acid levels may be used as a marker for early detection of the disease.