How vitamin C helps shield you from toxin exposure

We spend a lot of time here warning you about the dangers of environmental toxins. And probably the worst one of all is glyphosate.

Just recently I told you about the continued deceit being practiced by Monsanto, the chemical giant who manufactures glyphosate. While thousands die, they cover up information and insist that their carcinogenic weed killer is safe.

Well, finally there’s some good news, sort of.

It looks like there could be a solution to glyphosate…

Not a foolproof one, and not one that will help all those people who’ve already been exposed and have cancer.

But it looks like a well-known vitamin could go a long way in counteracting some of the effects of this poison.

How glyphosate does its dirty work

Exposure to glyphosate opens the door for the cell damage that leads to a host of health problems such as kidney disease, asthma, and irritable bowel syndrome.

In simple terms, it does this by depleting the body’s supply of glutathione, your body’s “master antioxidant.” Glutathione runs the show when it comes to antioxidant activity in your body: it attracts and eliminates all sorts of toxins, and protects your immune system.

By knocking out glutathione, the poison in glyphosate causes lipid peroxidation or damage to the fat cells in your skin.

Once this process has started, it tends to continue unchecked, leaving tissue damage in its wake and leaving your body open to the bacteria, viruses, and toxins normally kept out by your skin.

Vitamin C to the rescue

Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, has long been the “unsung hero” that protects against all sorts of diseases. Yet for some reason, the medical community has been resistant to accepting all that it can do.

In 1753, Scottish physician James Lind devised what may have been the first controlled experiment. He took six pairs of British sailors suffering from scurvy and gave them six different treatments.

Those who ate limes were the only ones who recovered and recovered completely (thus, the nickname “limey” for British sailors).

In 1971, Nobel prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling proved that vitamin C kills cancer cells.

Since vitamin C is water-soluble (we don’t store it, but urinate out what we don’t need), it can be taken in mega-doses (small amounts dosed over time).

That’s fortunate since research has shown that megadoses of vitamin C (we’re talking 10,000mg and more) may hold the key to preventing such diverse conditions as Parkinson’s disease, blindness in premature infants, anxiety, and hardening of the arteries.

Knowing all of this, it really isn’t a surprise that vitamin C can go head-to-head with glyphosate and reduce or prevent its poisonous effects.

In high enough doses, intravenous vitamin C has been shown to reverse the depletion of glutathione caused by glyphosate. But that’s not all.

Imidacloprid is a chemical pesticide that reduces glutathione activity. Research has found vitamin C to hold promise in reducing and reversing this toxic effect, too.

What you can do now

Unfortunately, glyphosate is used so widely that it’s a challenge to avoid it in the food supply. But there are some things you can do, like eating organic produce.

Then work on getting regular about taking your vitamin C, and probably more of it.

You can start by taking supplemental vitamin C. Just be sure to take only 200 mg at a time. Anything more than that will be excreted, so spread out your intake throughout the day.

Intravenous vitamin C treatment is not always covered by insurance, and your doctor may not feel it necessary. But if you want to explore this route, look for an integrative physician.

And obviously, there are so many foods to include in your diet that are rich in vitamin C. Beyond the usual citrus fruits, here are some you may not know about:

• Kakadu plums – These small, green fruits are native to northern and western Australia. They have the highest known concentration of vitamin C, at 5300mg per 100 grams. They’re available frozen and freeze-dried.
• Acerola cherries – Just a half cup of these cherries has 913% of the recommended daily value for vitamin C. They also are thought to have cancer-fighting properties.
• Rose hips – These small fruits left behind after roses bloom are also great for arthritis, and protect the heart. Rosehip tea is a popular way to enjoy these benefits or take them in supplement form.
• Thyme – If you want to boost the vitamin C value of your cooking, throw in some thyme. An ounce of fresh thyme (not dried) has 45mg of vitamin C.

Editor’s note: Nutrients, like vitamins and minerals can do amazing things for your body–no prescription needed! If you’d like to know more ways to keep your body healthy and whole, check out The Part-Time Health Nut: Attain Your Best Health Ever, without Extreme Diets, Dangerous Pills or Brutal Workouts. Click here for a preview!

Sources:

1. Glyphosate-induced antioxidant imbalance in HaCaT: The protective effect of Vitamins C and E — Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
2. Efficacy of Ascorbic Acid in Reducing Glyphosate-Induced Toxicity in Rats — British Biotechnology Journal
3. The protective effect of orange juice on glyphosate toxicity in adult male mice — Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research
4. Lipid peroxidation and tissue damage — In Vivo
5. Efficacy of supplementary vitamins C and E on anxiety, depression and stress in type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial — Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences
6. The role of vitamin C as antioxidant in protection of oxidative stress induced by imidacloprid — Food and Chemical Toxicology