Evidence map›Paper›PMID 14498993›Full record

ArticleNutrition journal2003

Vitamin C in human health and disease is still a mystery? An overview.

K Akhilender Naidu

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nutrition journal, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06995586 (The Synergistic Action of Vitamins and Dietary Supplements in Patients With Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Improving the Quality of Healthcare Delivery.), which is not on this map. Cited by 185 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
185citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
8.7field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06995586 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

The Synergistic Action of Vitamins and Dietary Supplements in Patients With Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Improving the Quality of Healthcare Delivery.

TypeinterventionalSponsorNicosia General HospitalRan2026 to 2028Enrolled108ConditionsCardio-pulmonary Bypass, Cardiovascular Diseases, Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Omega-3 SupplementationArmsVitamin C, Omega 3 PUFA (EPO/DHA), Lignin, Lactulose
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

185 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 802 citations in OpenAlex.

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  18. Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
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125 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.

K Akhilender NaiduDepartment of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore 570 013, India. kanaidu@mailcity.com
Central Food Technological Research Institute · IN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Ascorbic acid is one of the important water soluble vitamins. It is essential for collagen, carnitine and neurotransmitters biosynthesis. Most plants and animals synthesize ascorbic acid for their own requirement. However, apes and humans can not synthesize ascorbic acid due to lack of an enzyme gulonolactone oxidase. Hence, ascorbic acid has to be supplemented mainly through fruits, vegetables and tablets. The current US recommended daily allowance (RDA) for ascorbic acid ranges between 100-120 mg/per day for adults. Many health benefits have been attributed to ascorbic acid such as antioxidant, anti-atherogenic, anti-carcinogenic, immunomodulator and prevents cold etc. However, lately the health benefits of ascorbic acid has been the subject of debate and controversies viz., Danger of mega doses of ascorbic acid? Does ascorbic acid act as a antioxidant or pro-oxidant? Does ascorbic acid cause cancer or may interfere with cancer therapy? However, the Panel on dietary antioxidants and related compounds stated that the in vivo data do not clearly show a relationship between excess ascorbic acid intake and kidney stone formation, pro-oxidant effects, excess iron absorption. A number of clinical and epidemiological studies on anti-carcinogenic effects of ascorbic acid in humans did not show any conclusive beneficial effects on various types of cancer except gastric cancer. Recently, a few derivatives of ascorbic acid were tested on cancer cells, among them ascorbic acid esters showed promising anticancer activity compared to ascorbic acid. Ascorbyl stearate was found to inhibit proliferation of human cancer cells by interfering with cell cycle progression, induced apoptosis by modulation of signal transduction pathways. However, more mechanistic and human in vivo studies are needed to understand and elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the anti-carcinogenic property of ascorbic acid. Thus, though ascorbic acid was discovered in 17th century, the exact role of this vitamin/nutraceutical in human biology and health is still a mystery in view of many beneficial claims and controversies.

Identifiers

PMID14498993
PMCPMC201008
OpenAlexW2109106143

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.