The Effects of Vitamin C on Medical Tests

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ILLUSTRATION: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
Major interferences caused by vitamin C. 

Imagine that you’re about to undergo a routine physical exam and your doctor says, “Before I send you to the lab, tell me what drugs–including aspirin and antacids–you’ve taken in the last 48 hours.” You smile and reply that you haven’t needed medicine in months. After all, you’ve been taking good care of yourself: exercising, eating vitamin-packed food from your garden, and following wholistic health routines.

But wait, did you consider the vitamin C tablets you gulp down each morning? Well, you’d better mention them to your doctor, because that daily supplement could interfere with the accuracy of the tests!

Since 1970, when Linus Pauling first publicized vitamin C’s role in helping the body fight the common cold, many individuals have made taking large doses of it part of their daily health regimen. Today, however, medical journals are alerting physicians and lab technologists to the effects of vitamin C on laboratory procedures.

Laboratory Interference 

The various lab tests are important to every doctor’s investigations, and false or unexpected results can seriously hinder a physician’s overall interpretation of such reports.

  • Published on Mar 1, 1984
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