Linus Pauling's Controversial Legacy: Examining Mega Doses of Vitamins

[Integral]

I have never thought of Linus Pauling as a quack but this article seems to indicate otherwise. I find the last paragraph rather misleading.

In May 1980, during an interview at Oregon State University, Linus Pauling was asked, "Does vitamin C have any side effects on long-term use of, let's say, gram quantities?" Pauling's answer was quick and decisive. "No," he replied.

Seven months later, his wife was dead of stomach cancer. In 1994, Linus Pauling died of prostate cancer.

If fails to mention that he was 93yrs old.

 

[Evo]

Yes, it's sad that people that are great in some things become quacks in others. I had read studies many years ago showing that Pauling was wrong about vitamin C. There are many studies that have repeatedly shown him wrong.

Vitamin C is found in many vegetables and fruits, especially oranges, grapefruits, and peppers. Many studies have shown a link between eating foods rich in vitamin C, such as fruits and vegetables, and a reduced risk of cancer. On the other hand, the few studies in which vitamin C has been given as a supplement have not shown a reduced cancer risk.

This suggests that the activity of fruits and vegetables in preventing cancer is due to a combination of many things such as vitamins, fiber, and other phytochemicals and not to vitamin C alone (see Phytochemicals). Clinical trials of high doses vitamin C as a treatment for cancer have not shown any benefit. High doses of vitamin C can cause side effects in some people.

http://www.cancer.org/treatment/tre...vemedicine/herbsvitaminsandminerals/vitamin-c

 

[Curious3141]

Yes, it's sad that people that are great in some things become quacks in others. I had read studies many years ago showing that Pauling was wrong about vitamin C. There are many studies that have repeatedly shown him wrong.
http://www.cancer.org/treatment/tre...vemedicine/herbsvitaminsandminerals/vitamin-c

Lots of "great" people (in one field) believe lots of crazy things in other areas. For example, William Shockley's (and to a lesser extent, James Watson's) "scientific racism", Kary Mullis' cranky HIV-denial, Josephson's beliefs about telepathy, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's (who wasn't a Nobel winner like the preceding lot, but was a physician and an eminent writer) belief in fairies and the occult. The list is endless. Even highly intelligent, high-achieving individuals are capable of delusional thought. The danger is that these thoughts get a much wider and more serious airing because of their prominence. The moral is that argument from authority is almost always flawed.

 

[berkeman]

IMO, that's why the peer review process is so important.

 

[Chronos]

The problem with these 'amazing claims' is they are killing people. Talk to your doctor. That is the only expert you should trust.

 

[edward]

The problem with these 'amazing claims' is they are killing people. Talk to your doctor. That is the only expert you should trust.

I would hope that a reasonably intelligent person would be able to see through the "amazing claims."

Doctors have very little training in nutrition. I see a nurse practitioner who has taken may more hours of nutritional training and study than the MD she works under.

As she puts it: "Few people eat that well balanced diet we are always talking about."

On average, students received 23.9 contact hours of nutrition instruction during medical school (range: 2–70 h). Only 40 schools required the minimum 25 h recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. Most instructors (88%) expressed the need for additional nutrition instruction at their institutions.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430660/

BTW the new buzz word is, antioxidants, and this isn't referring to vitamins.