Vitamin C as an antioxidant supplement in women's health: a myth in need of urgent burial

Epidemiological data suggest that diets rich in antioxidants protect against diseases associated with free radical damage, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Early observations also suggested that vitamin supplements with antioxidant properties, like vitamins C and E, could also prevent or ameliorate pre-eclampsia, but most large randomized clinical trials have failed to show any benefit. Vitamin C given orally, even at high doses, does not achieve sustained serum levels that might be required for effective antioxidant activity. This may explain the failure of the numerous clinical trials involving its use in pre-eclampsia, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, etc. Vitamin C supplementation to stave off pre-eclampsia, cancer and other diseases is a ‘nutraceutical’ industry-driven myth which should be abandoned. We do not dispute a role for oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia, nor the possibility of amelioration of the disease by an anti-oxidant given at the right time and in the correct dosage. We simply wish to make a case that the massive and expensive clinical trials of vitamins C and E should cease until further rigorous scientific research is undertaken.