Abstract

Although there is a great controversy concerning the adequate daily allowance of vitamin C, the fact that consumption increases with physical effort is generally accepted. Thus, supplementing the high performance athletes, with the purpose of preserving their health, is a normal practice. It has been occasionally stated, with more or less precision, that vitamin C increases the human power or physical working capacity. In order to confirm that thesis, we measured the performance of 9 long distance runners during 4 two-weeks phases, since their maximum equilibrium speed depends, to large extent, on their power. In phase 2, or 3, they took 2 g of vitamin C per day. In phase 3, or 2, they took placebo. For each subject an evolution graph of the performance for constant body weight and environmental temperature was obtained. Even though, according to the plan, the so-called steady state was not reached in each phase, the performance trends showed the subjects response to the vitamin. Such individual responses varied almost uniformly between 0.7 and 7.9 of power increase. Seven responses were significant. The average response was 4.0 and highly significant. Despite the fact that all subjects had positive responses to vitamin C, the magnitude of the individual responses was very different, which strengthens the criterion of the great biochemical variability of human beings and the suitability of differentiated individual treatment. Verf.-Referat