Can Vitamin C Cure Colon Cancer?

Studies have long been looking into the benefits of vitamin C in helping patients who have colon cancer get better or at least ease their pain. One previous study from 2015 by Weill Cornell Medicine Investigators claims that high levels of ascorbic acid could kill certain types of colorectal cancers in specific cell structures and mice.

Vitamin C

Ascorbic Acid is a natural, water-soluble vitamin and is known to be a powerful antioxidant that is capable of fighting off bacterial infections in the body as well as providing critical benefits to several connective tissues found in different body parts.

Vitamin C is commonly found in citrus and other fruits as well as vegetables, and it cannot be produced or stored by the human body, making the only way to obtain it is through the diet.

Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is one of the many different types of cancers and begins in the large intestines, also known as the colon, which is home to the final stage in the digestion process.

The individuals who are most susceptible to colon cancer are the elderly, but any age range could still acquire it. It starts as a tiny and benign lump of cells called polyps that commonly appear within the colon.

Symptoms of colon cancer can be few and far between which include a change in bowel habits, bleeding in the rectal region, abdominal pain, physical weakness or fatigue, and sudden unexplained weight loss.

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The irregularities of colon cancer lead many medical experts to recommend getting regular check-ups to remove any polyps that could potentially become cancerous.

Generally, doctors are unsure of the causes of most colon cancers as they usually begin as healthy cells that abruptly undergo mutations in their DNA, making it difficult for medical experts to predict which cells will become cancerous in the future.

Ascorbic Acid against Cancer

A research from 2019 studied the effects of concentrations of vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid (AA), on colorectal cancer (CRC) cells due to the increasing resistance of the hostile cells towards chemotherapy.

The study utilized high concentrations of AA in combination with reduced levels of drugs usually used to fight off CRC. The research aimed to use the potential synergy of the two compounds to mitigate the adverse side effects of the standard clinical drugs while taking advantage of the health benefits of AA.

The experiment the researchers conducted had two human cell lines of CRC that were cultured to be exposed to a combination of AA and three different chemotherapeutic agents, 5-FU, Oxa, and Iri, to determine which would have a positive synergy in fighting the cancer cells.

The results found an increased efficacy of the combination that utilized Oxa and Iri when exposed to the CRC with their mixture with AA concentrations.

The researchers concluded that the findings showed the potential of combined compounds that used AA and the two agents Oxa and Iri in treating patients with CRC.