Vitamin C: A personalized approach

Q: I read your message last week about needing extra vitamin C, since human bodies don't make their own. But you didn't mention how much we need. What is a good daily dose?

Dr. Wright: When it comes to vitamin C, the best daily dose is different for every person. So I usually recommend identifying an individualized dosage using feedback from your own body. It's fairly easy to do this: Just increase your daily dosage gradually over the span of a few days or weeks until your start experiencing excess gas or loose bowels. Then, taper back slightly to alleviate those symptoms, and you've arrived at your personal vitamin C requirement/tolerance level.

Most of my patients find their tolerance level to be 3 to 6 grams a day. Of course, when you get sick, your tolerance point will increase - possibly to as much as 20 to 30 grams a day.

Since vitamin C is water soluble and used up rapidly by your body, you should spread out your daily requirement and take it in several doses throughout the day.

There are just two precautions to make note of: First, if you've had calcium oxalate kidney stones or a family history of them, you should limit your vitamin C intake to 1 gram per day, unless you're working with a physician. There's a chance that vitamin C can increase oxalate production. Also, if you've ever had kidney failure, you should consult your doctor before taking vitamin C.

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