Evening star., 1953-09-04
VitoI New Use Seen
Near for Ascorbic Acid
Tests Show 1t Moy Check
Hardening of the Arteries
BY Thomas r. Henry

By Thomas R. Henry
Ascorbic acid, the vitamin found in
citrus fruits and most green vegetables
which Is necessary to prevent scurvy,
may be Of far greater Importance to
life than hitherto has been supposed.
Experiments just reported to the
American Chemical Society by Colum-
bia University group working under
Public Health Service grant provide
strong evidence that this vitamin c
regulates in some way the formation
Of cholesterol in the body. This, in turn.
appears directly associated with
hardening Of the arteries and several
other diseases Of adult life which are
among the major causes of death.
Found in All Human Cells.
Cholesterol is a fatlike. waxy sub
stance found normally in minute
amounts in all animal and human cells.
1t Is found in unusually large quantities
both in hardening Of the arteries and
in the most common form of gallstones.
The Columbia group headed by DR..
Charles G. King worked with two
groups of guinea pigs. One group was
fed diet completely free of vitamin
c. The other received normal amounts
Of the vitarin. Total food was the
same in each case
By the time first signs of scurvy be-
gan to appear in the test group analy-
sis showed 200 per cent acceleration
in production of cholesterol in the
adrenal glands. When scurvy was well
advanced, the test animals showed q
900 per cent acceleration.
1t is believed that the results would
be quite similar with human beings.
''The discovery Professor King said,
"opens a new approach to research on
arterioscleroSis and associated diseases.
We found that the adrenal glands, in
particular. showed marked accelera-
tion in the synthesis of choleSterol.
Vitamin c deficiency in this case
causes failure of the adrenal func-
ton which is related to the reproductive
cycle and lactation, mineral balances
in the body, and such conditions as
arthritis.
Examination also showed an accel-
Grafton in cholesterol formation in liver,
heart, lungs and arteries, though not as
great as in the adrenals."
X
Air Transports Garry Diseases.
Air transport, which has made the
world so much smaller in the last few
years, has created some serious dangeu
of the spread Of epidemic disease.
The possibility, for example, Of in
Producing jungle yellow fever, the
highly fatal mosquito-carried dis
ease of the American tropical forests.
into the Orient was stressed before the
AVNNn &axx1
days ago by Col. F. l.. Duff, Air Force
medical officer.
This disease requires mosquito car
rierS and forest monkeys to serve as q
reservoir. Both are present in India,
where there are approximately $50 mil
lion persons probably susceptible. Up
to now the malady never has been re-
ported east of Africa. India and the
Orient probably have been protected by
the short incubation period of the dis
ease and the long sea voyage previously
necessary for travel between South
America and the Orient.
Indian health authorities are keenly
aware of this problem, Col. Duff said,
and have instituted strict quarantine
and immunization regulations and care
full airport mosquito procedures.
Little Danger to q. S.
There seems little danger that the
United States will suffer from any dis
ease brought in by aircraft, he believes.
The real danger is that American dis
eases will be given to the rest Of the
world.
I'm this country" he said, ut is ex-
tremely unlikely that epidemic situa-
tions would develop or that these dis
eases would become endemic following
the introduction of a case. The high
standard of medical care and well-de-
veloped public health services would
insure the diagnosis and treatment of
such conditions. The high standards Of
living would also be unfavorable to
their propagation.
Little mention has been made, how
ever, of the possibility of introduction
of diseases endemic to the United States
into the highly susceptible populations
of other areas. Native populations Of
isolated Arctic areas and certain is
lands have, because of almost complete
isolation, had practically no contact
with diseases common to this country.
The introduction Of diseases such as
measles, influenza, poliomyelitis and
diphtheria into such a population fire.
quently produces epidemics of high
mortality"