Ralph Samson writes:
> Dear immuno readers,
> On a posting on 3/17, I suggested that Dr. Mark Levine's discovery
> of the absorption of Vitamin C from the blood by neutrophils when under
> attack might be equally applicable to macrophages. Now a recent study
> from Finland, reported in "Circulation", seems to verify this. They
> measured the effect of 30 minutes in a smoke-filled room on levels of
> antioxidants in the blood, including Vitamin C. The reduction would
> be due to the response of macrophages in lung tissue. Actually the
> reduction is a desirable immune system response. All that is needed
> is to have enough Vitamin C in circulation so that the depletion still
> leaves a sufficient amount for good immune system response elsewhere.
> And of course, smokers should take lots of Vitamin C.
> Regards, Ralph L. Samson
Good grief Ralph -- how can you possibly extrapolate the simple finding
of a reduction of blood levels in vitamin C after exposure to smoke, and
ascribe it to uptake of vitamin C by lung macrophages?? Did the authors
of the article in Circulation actually measure lung macrophage vitamin C
uptake and draw this conclusion, or is this your own interpretation?
(You don't provide the exact reference, so I couldn't check, but I have
my suspicions). It's these wild, unsubstantiated leaps of logic (or
illogic) that both damage your credibility in a newsgroup like this one,
and are holding you back from true scientific understanding. Moreover,
it is damaging to the very cause you're trying to promote -- the
importance of Vitiamin C to the immune system.
--Dom Spinella
