Linus Pauling and the vitamin C theory

 ​​Linus Pauling and the vitamin C theory

Linus Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist, author and educator. He published more than 1,200 papers and books. Pauling was one of the founders of the fields of quantum chemistry and molecular biology. In 1993 did the​ New Scientist call him one of the 20 greatest scientists of all time.

In 1954, Pauling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for determining the nature of the chemical bond linking atoms into molecules. In 1962, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his campaign against nuclear weapons testing. This makes him the only person to be awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes.

Pauling theorized that diseases are caused by vitamin deficiencies in our body.

Linus Carl Pauling (1901-1994)

Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant, and it is also needed to produce collagen, which is used to build and maintain your blood vessels. Vitamin C combines with two amino acids – lysine and proline – to form procollagen. Procollagen is then used to manufacture several types of collagen found in different tissues throughout the body.

"If a patient is Vitamin C deficient, then this reaction will not occur. ... The end result is poor wound healing, and the clinical condition is called scurvy. The current recommended daily allowance for Vitamin C is 60 mg; however, 200 mg may be optimal." - Dr. Robert F. Diegelmann, PhD, the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.

With scurvy, the body literally falls apart as collagen is broken down and not replaced. Scurvy was a common disease until it was discovered that it could be prevented by eating certain foods. Between 1500 and 1800, it has been estimated that scurvy killed at least two million sailors. Jonathan Lamb wrote: "In 1499, Vasco da Gama lost 116 of his crew of 170; in 1520, Magellan lost 208 out of 230; ... all mainly to scurvy."

Almost every mammal produce vitamin C in quantities equivalent up to several grams per day. The only exemptions are humans, guinea pigs, higher primates and fruit bats. While the latter three are vegetarians, humans can choose not to eat food with vitamin C.

Humans, guinea pigs, high primates and fruit bats are the only mammals that cannot produce their own vitamin C.

Did you know that guinea pig food is fortified with eight times more vitamin C than that is recommended by FDA for humans?

In 1989, Linus Pauling published “A Unified Theory of Human Cardiovascular Disease.” He theorized that the deposits of plaque seen in atherosclerosis is not the cause of heart disease, but is actually the result of our bodies trying to repair the damage caused by long-term vitamin C deficiency. Pauling based his theory on a number of important scientific findings.

In the early 1950s did Canadian doctor G. C. Willis observe that plaque always forms nearest the heart, where blood vessels and arteries are constantly being stretched and bent, rather than being spread evenly throughout the entire cardiovascular system. Willis also noted that plaque deposits always occur in regions that are exposed to the highest blood pressures, such as the aorta, where blood is forcefully ejected from the heart.

G. C. Willis also conducted an experiment with guinea pigs: When the animals were deprived of vitamin C, they died in matter of weeks by scurvy. When their vitamin C was limited to human equivalent to Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 60 mg per day, they lived, but developed atherosclerosis. When fed the human equivalent of several grams of vitamin C, the guinea pigs thrived with no sign of atherosclerosis.  

Dr. G. Christopher Willis (1923-2012)

In the early 1980s was ​it discovered that heart disease begins with a crack, lesion or stress fracture in the arterial wall. As these tiny cracks open up, they expose strands of the amino acid lysine (one of the primary components of collagen) to the blood stream. Lipoprotein (a) - Lp(a) - a dense and sticky variant of LDL cholesterol is attracted to lysine and begins to collect and attach to the exposed lysine strands.

In 1985 did Michael S. Brown and Joseph L. Goldstein receive the 1985 Nobel prize in medicine for this discovery.

Michael S. Brown.

Joseph L. Goldstein.

Linus Pauling and Matthias Rath repeated the earlier Willis experiments, but this time they monitored Lp(a). They discovered that it became elevated in guinea pigs deprived of vitamin C, but not in guinea pigs that received vitamin C. These experiments connected elevated Lp(a) with low vitamin C. They realized that in species that can experience low vitamin C, Lp(a) had evolved to patch cracked blood vessels. As chronic scurvy progresses, the liver produces more Lp(a). As the amount of Lp(a) increases, they tend to deposit on top of existing plaque formations, the arteries narrow and the flow of blood is reduced.​

The Pauling Therapy

In 1994 Linus Pauling and his associate Matthias Rath received a patent in the US for a method "for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, by administering therapeutically effective dosages of a drug comprised of ascorbate, lipoprotein(a) binding inhibitors, and antioxidants." It is called the Pauling Therapy.

The Pauling Therapy consists of:

1. High doses of Vitamin C to increase collagen production and to improve the health and strength of arteries, and eliminate the chronic scurvy or vitamin C deficiency.
   
2. L-Proline to release lipoprotein(a) from plaque formation and prevent further deposition of same.
   
3. L-Lysine to release lipoprotein(a) from plaque formation and prevent further deposition of same.
4. Coenzyme Q10 to strengthen the heart muscle.
   
5. L-Carnite to strengthen the heart muscle.
   
6. Niacin to decrease production of lipoprotein(a) in the liver.
   
7. Vitamin E to inhibit proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the walls of arteries.

More about Vitamin C

In 2008, the United States Postal Service released a 41 cent stamp honoring Pauling.

Other research

Dr. James Danesh reported in Circulation (09/04/2000), a journal of the American Heart Association, from a meta analysis of 27 studies, that elevated Lp(a) increases the risk of heart attack and stroke by 70%.

Researchers at the Pontchaillou University Hospital in France compared 65 people who suffered a hemorrhagic stroke with 65 healthy people. They tested the vitamin C levels in both groups and found that 45 percent of people had depleted levels of vitamin C, 41 percent had normal levels, and 14 percent were severely deficient in vitamin C. When they correlated the results back to the study participants, they found that those who had a hemorrhagic stroke were more likely to have lower levels of vitamin C.

The Copenhagen City Heart Study found that individuals with plasma Lp(a) levels above 50 mg/L had 2 to 3 – fold increase risk for heart attack (Myocardial Infarction).

References
 - Pauling Therapy: "The unified theory & Heart disease therapy."
​ - Dr. Mercola: "Was Linus Pauling right about vitamin C’s curative powers after all?"
​ - Dr. Robert F. Diegelmann: "Collagen metabolism."
​ - Wikipedia: "Scurvy. History."
​ - Jim English and Hyla Cass: "The collagen connection."
​ - Tower Laboratories: "The Pauling therapy: Is it a "cure" for heart disease?"
 - Cholesterol Ease: "Lowering cholesterol will not stop blood vessels from clogging up!"
 - De Monte Centre: "The cure for heart disease: Pauling Therapy."
​ - United States Patent and Trademark Office: Patent 5,278,189
 - Owen R. Fonorow: "The cure for heart disease: Theory, history and treatment."
​ - Danesh/Collins/Peto: "Lipoprotein(a) and coronary heart disease. Meta-analysis of prospective studies."
​ - Dr. Stephen Sinatra: "Preventing stroke with vitamin C."
​ - Kamstrup, Tybjærg-Hansen, Steffensen, Nordestgaard: "Genetically elevated lipoprotein(a) and increased risk of Myocardial Infarction."

---

---

Dictionary
​Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other parts of your body.
Atherosclerosis​ is a disease in which plaque builds up inside your arteries.
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is a general term that describes a disease of the heart or blood vessels.
Coronary Arteries are arteries that that carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscles.
​Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a group of diseases the includes angina, myocardial infarct and sudden cardiac death.
​Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) occurs when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries.
​Heart Disease is a term often used interchangeably with the term "cardiovascular disease" but it also relates to conditions that affect your heart's muscle, valves or rhythm.
Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) is the same as Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).
​Stroke occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off.