Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-07
vitomin c May Prove
An Elixir of Youth
'Ascorbic Acid Regulates
CholesteroI Formation

SSOaDiS NStU NSSusOtGS
CholesteFoI Formation
By Thomas R. Henry
vitamin c, the 'ascorbic acid" found
in citrus fruits and many fresh vege-
tables. may be veritable elixir Of
youth.
It regulates in some way the rate Of
formation Of cholesterol In the animal
body, according to a report Of DR..
Charles C. King of Columbia University
who has worked with grants from the
United States Public Health Service
and the Nutrition Foundation.
Cholesterol is a wax-like fat which
appears in all animal tissues. It APP
pears in unusually large amounts. how
ever, in cases of hardening Of the ar
teries, major symptom Of growing
old" and in the formation Of gall
stones. 1t enters largely into the struc-
ture of the so-called giant molecules OF
fat in the blood stream which, 1t re-
Gently has been demonstrated. may be
in major factor in the heart-kidney-
blood syndrome which in various forms
seems to underlie the high blood pres
sure which is an increasing cause OF
death and disability In the American
population.
A great deficiency of ascorbic acid
results in scurvy. This was the first
major human disease traced directly
to a food deficiency Scurvy proven.
ton long was considered the only func-
ton Of the yitamin, although five or
six others since have been demon
Strated.
Guinea Pigs Used.
DR.. King experimental with guinea
pigs. He gave them diets various con-
Stituents of which were tagged with
atoms of radioactive, carbon so their
course in the body could be followed.
Some of them were known to enter into
the body's synthesis of cholesterol.
one group of animals received nor
NAL amount of ascorbic acid. Another
got exactly the same diet, but with all
the anti-scurvy vitamin excluded. BY
the time the first signs OF Scurvy began
to appear in the second group 1t was
found that there was 200 per cent
increase in the rate of cholesterol pro-
duction in the adrenal glands.
With scurvy well advanced, test ami
mails showed a 600 per cent accelera-
ton in the adrenal Synthesis OF these
fatty molecules. A significant increase
also was noted in heart. liver and
lungs, although by no means as great
as in the adrenals.
The findings may not necessarily
apply to human beings. DR.. King en-
phasizes, but past experiments have
shown that the guinea pig Is very sim
liar to both men and monkeys in the
use 1t makes OF vitamin c.
4
The new anti-malaria drug. prima-
uuine may eventually wipe out the
worlds single greatest Scourge-malarla.
This conclusion has come from tests
with malaria infested Korean war vet
Grams carried out at Fort Knox, KY,
Fort Benning, Ga, and four other Army
posts where the men were processed
before discharge.
Malaria now Is no more Of military
problem than smallpox or typhoid.
both thoroughly controlled diseases, &C
cording to DIR. A. s. Alving Of the Uni
yersity of Chicago, q member Of the
National Research Council committee
dealing especially with the malaria sit
. uation.
Implications, however. may be much
greater than military. Malaria has been
one Of the most potent forces In history.
It is believed to have been the prime
cause of the downfall Of the Roman
Empire and Of the great Indian civiliza-
lions Of Central America. 1t was q
major problem both In Korea and in the
last world war when there were
thousands Of victims In the Pacific
theater, In North Africa and IN Sicily.
Has Been Under Test.
Primaquins was synthesised late in
the last war by DR.. r. C. Ederheld of
Columbia University and has been
under test ever since. The latest tests
were most rigorous and involved $500
persons mostly returned servicemen
The problem Is to knock out the malaria
parasites both in the blood stream and
In tissues. Previous drugs have been
fairly successful, 30 far % the blood
stream IL concerned, but apparently
have been unable to penetrate the solid
tissues where the parasites hide.
The Korean brand Of malaria could
be kept fairly well under control In the
field by such drugs ~ quinins and
attabrine. Once back in this country.
however, the veterans began TO relapse
and, the tests have shown, these re-
lapses can be prevented almost CON-
pletely by the new drug. 1t u hailed
as q "cure"-rather than suppressive.
For large scale application. however
there remains difficult financial prob
lem. BY the most efficient methods OF
synthesis thus far achieved the drug
still costs as cents per tablet. Several
are required for each case before II
can be certain that all the parasites
have been eliminated. and malaria VIC
tins in the Far East are numbered in
hundreds of millions.
Ouesfinns and Answers