Vit C is water soluable and does not stay in your body very long.It is a
powerful antioxidant and beneficial to your immune system.
The iron absorption issue exsits mostly when you take your VitC
with an iron containing food.When taken seperate on empty stomach
and not in mega doses there really is not much an issue. Of course if you eat a lot of iron containing foods like red meat ect... you might end up with
higher iron regardless of your Vit C supplementation.
I experimented with high dose Vit C IVs after I was dx and it did not do
anything for my bloodwork but increase my viral load.
There is this theory that increasing antioxidants will protect your liver
by reducing oxidative stress but at the same time by reducing oxidative stress the virus will find it more easy to replicate.
Sort of a catch 22.
Vit C only stays in your body for a few hours. I did bloodwork a couple
of days after very high VitC IVs (like for cancer) and I was low in VitC , ..LOL
Just my two cents.....
b
Faith is right, it's not that grapefruit or pomegranates are bad for the liver, it just interacts with some medicines.
I was told not to eat grapefruit while on an entirely different medicine.
BTW:
I don't think there's anything damaging about eating food rich in vitamin C while doing tx, its the supplements we need to avoid.
I should note that this directive was only while on SOC!! Nothing was said as to its good/bad effects on the liver or on anything else during "non treatment"... just its affect on the meds. I was told to stay off all herbal and anti-oxidant supplements while on tx because they can potentially interfere with the meds.
Didn't want to mislead anyone on the good benefits of grapefruit and pomegranate under normal circumstances.
As I said, I don't know and I didn't bother to ask or research as I don't really care, lol. (So many other things to wonder and thing about.....)
But given what catmagic and willbb said, I would venture to say the Ferritin number?
Trader Joe's sells a good iron-free multivitamin and mineral supplement, but you have to look for the "no iron" label of the top, as it otherwise looks just like their multivitamin with iron (I once bought the wrong kind when shopping in haste).
I am just curious, why grapefruit and pomegrante? what is in these fruits that is bad for the liver
I was told (in writing), 1) no grapefruit and 2) no pomegranate. Just those two foods, nothing about oranges...rhyme or reason? I don't know, but with some research I guess I could find out, but I really won't be missing either one of them all that much, lol.
Ask your doc, but what to watch out for is that Ferritin number
--------------------------------------------
Yes.... it is this number that coerlates with High storage of iron..
Thanks .
.Will
I was told to stay away from Vit. C 10 years ago when I was diagnosed and my Ferritin level was 557 (yikes) (150 is high normal). Did two phlebotemies (and they're no big deal) and that 557 came down to normal. It's crept up over the years just a bit (214 right now), but it's pretty obvious to me that stopping my intake of vitamin C greatly reduced the "iron storing" that it's known for doing. Of course I don't take any iron supplements either. So I don't take a multi-vitamin unless I can find one with no iron, which I haven't yet. Even some of the B's have iron. I take B100, which doesn't.
Ask your doc, but what to watch out for is that Ferritin number. I get C from fruit juice and fruit. I would say though, that overall Vit C is something to stay away from in general. If I have a cold I take Echinacea.
Hi,
Vit. C "per se"is not harmful to the liver ,however you are correct in that it can cause an uptake of iron absorbtion and many HCV patients have excess iron storage ,which can be harmful.not only to the liver but other organs
.http://www.livestrong.com/article/414392-iron-hepatitis-c/
As many as 30 percent of people with hepatitis C have higher than normal iron levels in their blood; 10 percent have excess iron in the liver tissues, Dr. Thomas Riley says in the November 2001 issue of "American Family Physician." Excess iron may worsen liver disease.
Causes
Several factors may contribute to buildup of iron in the blood and liver tissue. People with hepatitis C may not excrete iron as efficiently as other people. Injured liver cells may also release more iron into the blood. Increased absorption through the gastrointestinal tract or ineffective red blood cell production that results in iron redistribution may also contribute to high serum iron levels.
People with HCV who have high iron levels should not take iron supplements. Your doctor may suggest restricting foods with high iron content, such as red meat, fortified cereals and liver. Using iron cookware can also increase your iron intake.
Taking vitamin C or eating foods high in vitamin C at the same time as foods high in iron can increase iron absorption. Dietary intake has not been proven to increase
Best.
.Will
Thanks orphanedhawk, I am not on the treatment yet. But have got some vitamin c ivs.
If you have hep c or liver damage and especially if you're doing hep c treatment, it's best to stay away from supplemental vitamin C.
Strawberries and red peppers are two fresh foods which are high in C.
You also can take an iron free mutli-vitamin.