My Love Affair

Linus

with

Vitamin

Pauling

Linus Pauling
440 Page Mill

Institute
of Science and Medicine.
Road, Palo Alto,
California
94305

I had begun
supplement,

taking

containing

the

Allowances),

in

that

to develop

I began

other

vitamins

an ordinary

1941.

taken

It

vitamin-mineral

RDAs (Recommended Dietary

was not

until

an interest

in

far

1966,

however,

in vitamin

larger

amounts

C and

than

the

RDAs.
In a talk
I took
their

in New York

in reading
various

stated

to continue

this

pleasure.

from

a biochemist

published,

he was sending

a Genetic

Disease,"

of

3,000

with

milligrams

25 years
per

the

longer,

My wife

and I began

us felt

that

we were

live

but

livelier

this

the

some papers

title

probably

amount

in order

the

talk.

that

he

"Hypoascorbemia,

I followed

calcium

and

to California

who had been at

of

in

world,

25 years

On my return

he recommended

taking

of

another

of vitamin

ascorbate,

day that

nature

general
if

how much pleasure

made by scientists

me copies

and that

potassium

milligrams

the

to have

had just

only

of
I could

that

not

discoveries

that

a letter

ascorbate,

I mentioned

I hoped

He.wrote

taking

the

investigations

that

I received

about

City

his

recommendation

C .(ascorbic
ascorbate)
more.

sodium

I would

live

The 3,000

is

50 times

of

the

and healthier.

acid,

the

RDA,

vitamin.
In particular,

Each of

My Love Affair

with

the

severe

colds

all

of my life

Vitamin

that

of vitamin

300 times

the

his

thesis

that

the

50 or more times
Most vitamins

enough
his

of

ability
is

these

an exception,

ascorbate.
ascorbate

these
is

process

for

the

principal
vessels,

reason

skin,

for

this

than

important

the

do not

need a large

of

this

as a source
vitamin.

body.

conclude
of vitamin

that

C would

the

- dogs,
to

animals

C
cats,

synthesize

require

For one thing,

of

this

more
ascorbate

sort

Collagen

and other
for

for

of

Vitamin

strengthening

teeth,

ascorbate

animals.

and is used up during

animals,

cellulose,

plants

do.

reaction

use a carbohydrate,

One might

that

me.

satisfying

loss

species

to collagen.

of

bones,

amount

is

plants

plants

collagen.

animal

of

to

to the

of his

reactions,

protein
the

cells

C is

was getting

to come close

all

of procollagen

structural

species

as food,

led

support

impressed

and so on - have continued

A most

conversion

the

Almost

hydroxylation

reactions.

by all

to

of vitamin

especially

plants

food

and then

presented

intake

of evolution

good health
for

the

I increased

200 times,

Stone

two that

them in the

elephants,
A likely

required

in

however.

horses,

Irwin

eating

a year

day).

exogenously

vitamins

to manufacture

cows,

is

RDA were

animal,

and the

then

mg per

times

a few years

physiological

required

an early

needs,

100 times;

proper

several

After

arguments

the

are

Presumably

C to

several

from

occurred.

RDA (now 18,000

Among the

I had suffered

no longer

my intake

C -Page

in order

to

in

animals
the
blood

tissues,

purpose,

result

is
the

this

an animal

for

whereas

and hence

synthesize

to depend

upon

a deficiency

of

My Love Affair

with

Vitamin

The amount
being

is

about

provided

60 mg per

The second
manufacture

very

manufactured

is

and,

converted

about

2,0.00 to

that

fact

by an average
day,

weight

20,000

milligrams

with

and tissues.
1967 I happened

by two psychiatrists

niacinamide,
value

that

in controlling

there

were

and I did
however,
their

mental

that

nothave

very

I realized

work.

They were

schizophrenic

which

is

ascorbate,
in very
should

1,000
with
small

times

the

the

striking

amounts,

be so lacking

papers

disease

to

they

in toxicity

Abram Hoffer
that

B3 (niacin

or

large

they

especially
I knew that

schizophrenic

was something

extraordinary

amounts

physiological

milligrams
that

1,000

to
per

niacin

day,
and

when given

from pellagra
times

later,
about

of niacin

property,

death

patients,

A few days

I was astonished

that

published

reported

in drugs.

of preventing

in

had considerable

as much as 17,000
RDA.

all

interested.

treat

concluded

ascorbate

in patients,
very

very

Stone

Dr.

vitamin

much interest

patients,

of

or nicotinamide)

giving

from

accord,ingly

Canada,

vitamin,

there

ranges

Irwin

are

body weight,

a number of papers

first-not

that

The amount

a deficiency

were used

animals

to the

day.

diet

In these

I was at
drugs

per

Saskatchewan,

acid

a human

that

a human being,

to read

another

nicotinic

schizophrenia.

the

in

Humphry Osmond.

had discovered

of

for

ascorbate.

an average

the

me is

proportional

to the

from hypoascorbemia,

and Dr.

of

approximately

diet

RDA.

impressed

amounts

suffering

In

the

that

large

human beings

blood

C - Page 3

the

and scurvy,
effective

My Love Affair

with

daily

intake

meant

that

which

are usually

than

the

could
these

lethal

normally

in

Somatic

substances

that

many other

was accepted,

of

subject

the

scathing

if

from

drugs,

not

that

substances,

these

and required

of
Mt.

two papers,

in the

in

I said

human body of
vitamins

Medical

School.

I could
were

and the

to give

a new medical
I tried

of

3 grams of vitamin

truth

of medicine

and decided

of
then

of my statement,

Beadle,

to think

minutes,

incidence

a short

in

to take

the

ten

of

school

in

A professor
the

Journal

present

decrease

but

physicians,

such as one by George

Sinai

that

and treatment

the

In 1969 I was invited

talks

on

"orthomolecular"

Association

of

denying

journal

such as the

dedication

common cold.

Science

now many orthomolecular

Medical

a person

ordinary

one in

prevention

The adjective

are

good health

Medicine."

the

that

for

them "orthomolecular"

present,

other

much smaller

them from

concentrations

normally

he or she could

letter,

different

and one in another

substances.

several

the

say that

regularly,

are

Medicine.

ceremony

New York,

to

the

Orthomolecular

one of

This

in amounts

to call

consists

and there

Orthomolecular

harm.

and Psychiatric

therapy
by varying

medical

human body,

Psychiatry"

of disease

the

the

I thought

In 1968 I published

orthomolecular

at

to patients

and I decided

"Orthomolecular

talk,

were quite

without

a name to distinguish

on "Orthomolecular

the

by a person

dosages.

deserved

substances.

also

be taken

given

pharmaceuticals,

also

C - Page 4

substances

present

and life,

Vitamin

C
and severity

wrote

me a

and asking

My Love Affair

if

I could

with

refer

Vitamin

him to any randomized

supporting

my statement.

describing

four

such trials,

turned

that

this

out

to recognize
of

the

that

that

these

vitamin

disease.

history

exhilarated

it

in November
"Vitamin

from

years

result

opinion

of people

colds

During

textbooks

vitamin

book of

be able

who developed
that

survey
people

to decrease

year.

I was,

in controlling

somewhat:

Often

it

is

said

that

have their
vitamin

in

the

a book,

a success

expressed
the

say that

for

the

twenty
large

common cold

statements
C might

common

immediately

and for

the

people

magazine

survey

however,

to

book,

with

Kappa award

journals,

C have no value

the

colds

This

in controlling

Phi Beta

recently

C and so

by Prevention

the

and medical

Only

or any other

severe

in the

have continued

disease.

as showing

The book was published

was quite

authorities

any other

had either

I began writing

C has value

the

refused

my search

of vitamin

day of August.

78% of the

It

simply

common cold

I might

(a recent

by physicians

of vitamin

years

book was given

scientific

medical

Herbert,

discovery

Common Cold,"

that

that

and the

attacked

that

to him.

them incorrectly
the

papers

1970 I had become so interested

and the

last

Victor

trials

finding

1970 by W. H. Freeman and Company.

C and the

gave the

against

thought

control

literature,

the medical

of August

on the
of

who suffer

best

or reported

scurvy

the

had any value.

studies

I had in earlier

completing

cold)

studies

first

of

Dr.

that

of millions

way that

the

physician,

double-blind

I communicated

I found

by the

suffering

which

C had no value
By the

in the

I searched

these

literature

disregarded

C - Page 5

doses
or

been revised

decrease

somewhat

My Love Affair

the

with

severity

of a cold,

Irwin
his

book

Stone

in

book,

value

about

100 diseases,

cardiovascular

about

the

I was invited

a new laboratory

Pritzker
Dr.

Charles

published

Huggins.

Stone,

cancer

the

School,

studies

by Irwin
from

for

Medical

could

therapy.

A newspaper

cancer

for

vitamin

a number of years
in

1966.
C might

He had'just
have

for

at the

dedication
Research,

by the

Director,

such as those

incidence

of

by 10% by the

of

presented

and mqrtality
proper

use of

conventional

was seen by Dr.

Hospital,

treatment

a book on this

become interested
in controlling

Ewan

Loch Lomondside,

an alternative

and had written

some value

A in controlling

to appropriate

of Leven

from my analysis

of my statement

of Vale

to

and

of Cancer

that

the

as an adjunct

account

Surgeon

that

evidence

a number of reports

address

arguments

be decreased

who had been searching

published
that

general

In

cancer,

California,

I stated

lead

up on vitamin

Ben May Laboratory

of

C in relation

C and vitamin

banquet

that
well

published

In checking

the

in

diseases.

diseases,

of vitamin

I had concluded

C, in megadoses,

Scotland,

of vitamin

University

and from

probably

Chief

intake

In my talk

vitamin

Cameron,

the

to give

and again

might

all

1969 and 1970 I had read

of megadoses

incidence.

Disease"

essentially

and stroke.

in

C Against

infectious

its

papers,

he discussed

including

disease

value

against
1972,

in his

decrease

C by human beings

an increased

common cold

cancer.
of

in

of

does not

Vitamin

of vitamin

published

the

it

Factor:

resistance

about

and the

even if

out

intake

to a decreased

C - Page 6

had pointed

"The Healing

deficiency

his

Vitamin

in

the

for
subject

possibility

cancer,

and he

My Love Affair

wrote

with

Vitamin

to me to ask my opinion

During

the

confer

with

following
Dr.

years

during

which

and later

he retired

we wrote
from

Director

and Medicine.

He published

me, on the

his

in

results

to

Scotland

post

the

day,

taken

them experienced

a pronounced

increase

Recently

some negative

time.

published

by physicians

patients

for

limited

recommendation

of vitamin

that

vitamin

this

periods

should

begin

taking

in

course

of

the

with
side

our efforts

of his

large

effects

of

to get

the

ignoring

convinced

amounts

it
the

prevents

National

of

Cancer

life

and

C to cancer

the

strong

the

intake

of

patient,

every

cancer

once

patient

as possible

to appropriate

observation

is

to a large

extent

chemotherapeutic

most of

C as early

as an adjunct

lives.

to appropriate

that

of vitamin

given

have been

by a cancer

as an adjunct

Science

their

quality

10 grams of vitamin

One important

chemotherapy,

the

C,"

them jointly

showed that

reports

be stopped

diesease,

of

for

and

patients

rest

Cameron and me that

I remain

therapy.

in

of

some of

the

Alto

Hospital

Institute

patients

time,

has been begun

therapy.

along

of

C never

conventional

conventional

who gave

made by Dr.

megadoses

the

a few hundred

for

to

and Vitamin

by him in cancer

with

survival

in Palo

a number of paper,

C per

times

of Leven

Pauling

His observations

in

several

"Cancer

in Vale

Linus

be administered.

Institute

our book

obtained

grams of vitamin

how much should

He came to our

became Medical

with

about
I went

Cameron.

one year,

ten

C - Page 7

drugs.

Institute

that

when taken
the misery

I regret
and the

that

American

My Love Affair

with

Cancer

Society

interested

1973,

remained

unsuccessful

Cancer

Institute

sponsored

and cancer.

It

is

of vitamin

C, niacin,

have value

in

Dr.

Vitamin

the

vitamin

for

C, usually

or 3 grams per
and certain
his

his

day,

kinds

of

them,

months.

Dr.

more than
large
as well

to receiving
on the

longer,

Dr.

amounts

day,

Some of his

average

Hoffer's
Cameron's,
of other

as a somewhat

his

about
patients

larger

from

large

of

several

him.

of

patients

only

have

as long,

and certain
amount

not

of

the

value

minerals

of vitamin

of

follow

a few months
with
for

survived

years

Hoffer

vitamins

in addition,

therapy,

because

Dr.

did

Those patients

regimen,

learning

niacin,l.S

other

usually

to him

amounts

seem to have benefitted

possibly
vitamins

referred

a good amount

16 times

psychiatric

For many years

cancer

conventional

to check

Abram Hoffer,

resulting

of cancer
with

who followed

Dr.

patients

and mega-amounts

been registered

cancer

perhaps

A)

out.

who were

disease.

They died

trials

intake

of vitamin

been carried

patients

12 grams per

recommendation.
having

cancer

their

on vitamin

has had among his

psychiatric

minerals.

after

of

of

large-scale

yet

National

an increased

psychiatrist

Columbia,

or anxiety,

seriousness

has prescribed

the

that

in

when the

(a precursor

but

have not

of years

of depression

ago,

symposium

accepted

cancer,

British

we initiated

two years

and beta-carotene

a good number of

because

C, which

an international

observations

now in Victoria,

about

until

now generally

For a number

patients

in vitamin

controlling

Cameron's

C - Page 8

various
some
far

rather

than

considerably
of
taken

C (average

the
by them,
12 grams

My Love Affair

with

rather

than

cancer

patients

rather

than

10 grams per
follow

just

During

about

ten

by the

are the

there

reached

in

is

disease

the

the

the

to strengthen

rate

the

research.

the

of atherosclerotic

He and his
in

lipoprotein,
is

during

has

these

intake

of

period,

conclusion.

disease

to

last

that

this

this

cause

recently
and strokes

to weakness

of

synthesize

enough

for

10 years.

the

collagen

them properly.

on medical

it

in

cardiovascular

failure

him to

pulished

increase

leads

the

surmise

support

which

the

has decreased

however,

in ascorbate,

encouraged

heart.

to

in

disease

strokes

States
to

I have known Matthias

nature

from

are

Rath and I have,

that

of the

Hoffer,

During

vascular

large

United

Matthias

because

States.

coronary

evidence

conclusion

a deficiency

arteries

of

in

that

C.

and stroke

United

from

result

by Dr.

of vitamin

I have been tempted

no direct
Dr.

prescribed

strongly

I have become much interested

He.art

rate

C by people

My associate

is

years

same amount.

vitamin

regimen

by 30% and the .death

decreases

but

death

I now recommend

megadoses

disease.

the

decreased

day).

taking

50% of deaths

years

C - Page 9

the

recent

cardiovascular
of

Vitamin

a minor

1989.
LDL,

finish

Rath

his
About

medical
six

years

constituent

laid
of

and then

ago he began
in

the

was that
down in

the

blood,

it

the

I
to carry

a study

arteries

made a remarkable

The discovery
is

studies

plaques

associates

that

nearly

near

of
the

discovery,
is

not

plaques,

lipoprotein(a),

low-density
but

instead
which

is

My Love Affair

usually

with

ignored

lipoprotein(a)
it

surface

layer

the

many of

cause

the

such as the

lesions,

groups

lipoprotein

is

deposited

to control

the

situation.

theory

of

the

disease

ways in which
the
from

intake
forming

protein(a)
which

of vitamin
and also
and increase

involves

Moreover,

there

pressure

the

rate

suggests

of

primary

synthesis

fibrin
react

this
are made

several
to

increase
lesions

of

lipo-

of cholesterol,

requiring
interfere

heart
are

that

One is

of destruction

that

of

efforts

the

the

steps

groups

be controlled.

to decrease

inhibitors

to

so that

disease

reactions

in regions

close

Other

to prevent

rate

arteries

deposition

plaques.

The

Various

C, in order

the

by investigators

the

and fibrinogen,

might

It

C, occurring

cardiovascular

hydroxylation
are

in

together.

Rath

features.

has combining

in the

ago Dr.

accepted

including

on fibrin

the

disease.

lesions

high

join

Lipoprotein(a)

haptenic

in

has some novel

of

The

LDL particle,

Two years

in vitamin

when arteries

and fibrinogen.

This

but

out.

constituent

generally

occurrence

these

the

core.

ideas

a deficiency

to control

than

carried

of cardiovascular

the

stress,

and turbulence

lipid

disease,
is

from

increased

with

larger

are

protein

a theory

of cardiovascular

taken

is

around

incorporates

of

analyses

has an additional

and I formulated

resulting

C - Page 10

when blood
particle

because

primary

Vitamin

vitamin
with

the

C.
binding

of

My Love Affair

with.Vitamin

lipoprotein(a)

to the

is

the

amino

regularly,

might

incidence

to

L-lysine,
cooperate

disease.

these
the

vascular

of cardiovascular

existing
that

acid

of health

Dr.

Page 11

wall.

an orthomolecular
with

vitamin

disease

will

of cardiovascular

of people

One of

in the

United

these

inhibitors

agent,

which,

C in decreasing

and in helping

Rath and I are

new discoveries

control

C -

at

contribute
disease
States

the
in

the

to control

present

time

a significant

and to the

taken

hopeful
way

improvement

and elsewhere.