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[WreckWench]

Men who lack vitamin C are also more likely to pass on genetically damaged sperm that can cause birth defects. So found Bruce Ames, Ph.D of the University of California, Berkeley. He analyzed sperm from twenty-four men. Fifteen had subnormal levels of vitamin C, and of these, eight had high levels of genetic damage to their sperm. Such damaged sperm boosts the chances of birth defects in offspring. Amazingly, most men could get enough vitamin C in a single orange a day to protect their sperm from the genetic damage.

So can you just take a vitamin C supplement instead of eating the orange?

No.

Supplements are usually synthetic and are not very bioavailable (meaning the body can't utilize them very well). What it is able to break down and utilize, it does so at a very high cost. What does that mean?

Well the vitamin C is isolated and does not have the co-factors found in food such as the orange that allow the vitamin C to be absorbed properly by the body, stored, distributed, etc. Since much of it will be lost in the body's attempt to utilize it, dosages are often far greater than that found in food. For example an orange contains 70 milligrams of vitamin C. As little as 60 milligrams are needed to prevent birth defects from being passed via the sperm, however the average vitamin C capsule has many times that amount. In other words we megadose.

However this places a great deal of stress on the body. Why? To break down and utilize the vitamin C (or any isolated vitamin or mineral for that matter) the body will steal electrons from the inside of your celluar walls to stablize the chemical compounds in the artifical vitamin C supplement. As this happens, the body creates free radicals which are like a semi automatic going off in a china shop inside the body. These free radicals hit and bounce all over the body damaging the cells as they smash into them. This process is called an oxidative hit, it occurs millions and millions of times in the body daily and the damage is called oxidative stress. The only thing that neutralizes free radicals and prevents oxidative stress in the body are anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are found in fresh fruits, veggetables and berries.

And yes...you can find them in capsule form as well. In fact, Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant. But if you take Vitamin C in a synthetic pill form rather than from the whole food itself, you are simply creating more free radicals and more damage to the body.

So eat that orange...or tomatoe...or corn...or apple...or banana...or even a potatoe. But be aware that vitamin C is destroyed with heat so cooking that potatoe will destroy most if not all of the vitamin C.

[RICHinNC]

Well....for us men that have had 'things' sniipped.....me for one will just continue to eat oranges because I like them......and just keep on firing blanks....if I may say that.

Pleassssssssssssssssssssssssse...lets not get into the "kid" discussion again. Many of us have been parents and in a way.....because our kids are gone and on their own....are past that point (yes...we will always be parents).....but we sure dont want to do it again.

Here is to peeing with the bathroom door open !!!
rich