Published as a Comment in Experimental Biology and Medicine
Prevention of the World Avian Flu Pandemic
John T.A. Ely
Res Assoc Prof (Emer)
Radiation Studies Box 351310
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
ABSTRACT
In several publicized locations including Vietnam, many (~50%) of the humans infected with avian flu do not die (1). These surviving patients are likely unaware of ascorbic acid (AA) or that all humans obtain it in food. We consider those whose infection is sufficiently mild that the amount of AA they absorb from food is high enough (possibly circa 100 mg/day) so their white cells can protect them against the level of flu virus involved. We outline a theory explaining the various details of our observations. It strengthens the prediction a starting AA dose can be chosen which may greatly increase the number of survivors. Evidence suggests that large-scale future survival of those infected in an avian flu pandemic may be enhanced by a daily AA dose of 1000 mg (a higher dose in the people who are more ill) (2). A high sugar diet for anyone is undesirable because it greatly impairs the utilization of AA.
Introduction
Double-blind clinical trials of ascorbic acid (AA) have been performed against the common cold and flu (3). Pauling concludes the measures to be taken for prevention and treatment of influenza through use of AA are essentially the same as for the common cold (3). We clarify problems caused by: 1) elevated blood sugars typical of affluent populations consuming the refined diet; and 2) the mistaken belief that AA (commonly called Vitamin C) is a vitamin. Although it was not initially understood, it has long been observed that hyperglycemia induces dysfunction in various processes such as reproduction, immunity, etc.(4-6). Ely had proposed a theory that explained anomalous dysfunctions induced in hyperglycemia; he called this effect the "glucose ascorbate antagonism" (GAA)(7-9).
Ascorbic Acid and Human Survival of (all) Influenzas
AA should be regarded as the most important molecule on earth. Even though AA is not a vitamin, the length of your life is more dependent upon its continuous adequate supply than on any other molecule. Ascorbic acid has many functions in body processes and is needed daily in gram quantities (11). We show in the references cited herein that one can assert the mistaken view "ascorbic acid is a vitamin" is directly impugnable as a major cause of massive tragic unnecessary morbidity and mortality and health care costs in industrialized societies today.
There are ~4000 mammals that synthesize AA, on average circa 5 g/day (normalized to 70 kg body weight), an amount absolutely necessary for numerous aspects of optimum health (10,11 p.98,12,13, 14,15), slowing aging, resisting many diseases of humans including influenza, etc (11 Chap 9,16-18).
Klenner treated many cases of influenza with AA. The size of the dose and the number of injections required were in direct proportion to the fever curve and duration of the illness. Forcing of fruit juice was always recommended (19-21, 22 p213). Pauling stated the proper use of AA should be effective in preventing an influenza pandemic (3). Other related medical applications of AA are well-described (23-28).
The Glucose Ascorbate Antagonism (GAA)
In even "modest" blood sugar elevations, glucose molecules so outnumber AA that they competitively inhibit insulin-mediated active transport of AA into cells. This is called the glucose ascorbate antagonism (GAA) (29-33).
The Model Dynamics of Systemic Defense Against Flu When AA Is Obtained Only in Food
The human immune system must have ascorbic acid (AA) to prevent and or cure influenza. Influenza is a viral disease. It is reported that about half of the humans who contract avian influenza in Vietnam do not die. Yet these patients may never have even heard of AA. We explain their survival is made possible by the fact that the particular viral load constituting their moderate infection is just small enough that the AA they accidentally acquired from their diets is adequate to defend them. The AA is used by the immune system to increase the white blood cell content to 50 times higher than the AA value in their blood plasma, enhancing defense against viruses and other pathogens.
An average young adult uses ~30 mg AA /day and if he happened to have a total AA body pool of 1 gram and has been in equilibrium in its gain and loss, his health is stable. However, if his intake is cut off on the first of some given month with, for example, only 1g body AA, then in each of 30 days, a use of 30 mg will have used up his entire body pool. Circa the final day he will die because there are so many functions for AA in the body that none can be satisfied. Now, we consider a person who is poorly nourished but not in terrible health although his resistance to many diseases is rather marginal. Such a person can still survive a mild infection of flu if the amount of flu virus is not exceeding his ability to: 1) provide white blood cells for defense; and 2) stimulate interferon production to go into adjacent cells preventing the virus from reproducing in them (11). These important functions would also be necessary to survive the flu.
In avian flu patients, survival is a simple matter of whether AA is sufficient that the virus dose is depleted before the AA. Clearly when such a patient comes into medical care, if we can raise his AA at that time, by even a large fraction of a gram, his recovery will likely be essentially immediate. The hospital staff must judge from the patients temperature and other signs and symptoms (3 p.160) how severe his infection may be. Their judgement will determine how much AA will be given to the patient to accelerate his recovery. Upon the patients release from hospital, the medical staff should have evaluated the likelihood of his being reinfected and admonished him on reduction of exposure and improvement of diet to enhance his AA intake; the stores of supplementary AA (tablets, etc) need to be conserved for hospital use because of the enormous economic losses suffered by avian flu countries.
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