ALSUntangled #62: vitamin C

Figures & data

Table 1. Table of evidence for vitamin C.

	Grade	Explanation
Mechanism	C	Vitamin C can reduce serum markers of oxidative stress but there is little evidence that it reduces these in brain or CSF
Pre-clinical	C	Two flawed studies in an ALS mouse model suggest benefits
Cases	B	2 patients with validated ALS diagnoses experienced validated improvements (ALS reversals) on cocktails of treatments including vitamin C
Trials	F	A small trial comparing vitamin C (along with 5 other antioxidants) to placebo showed no statistical benefit
Risks	B	Across many small human trials vitamin C appears safe. Patients with a history of renal insufficiency or kidney stones may be at an increased risk of new kidney stones.