[caveat emptor]

I am pushing 50 and have megadosed vitamin C since I was seven

I'm curious. If you don't mind saying, what's your "megadose"? I'd guess you take it orally. I take 2 or 3 grams a day, down from 10-12 for years after reading and checking on a convincing claim by Gary Taubes (!) that people can't process more than that - don't remember details and can't find with internet search. At 77 my skin and heart (recent echo-cardiagram) are in good shape. A few other things not so much - due to post-op screw ups a year and a half ago by an arrogant surgeon and a ignorant post-op nurse.

IMO there is big potential for avoiding heart disease (arteriosclerosis) and other collagen related issues with some sort of Vitamin C therapy, though not necessarily orally. You seem to be doing OK.

A section in the link to LPI at OSU in comment #6 by aMorePerfectUnion mentions administering vitamin C intravenously - one of the few “alternative” and complementary treatments that the BC Cancer Agency has labeled as investigational, as opposed to outright condemnation. I live in BC and met a summer resident in my community who had been getting such regular therapy for about 10 years - very expensive, apparently - after having been written off by conventional medical practice.

My opinion in the potential for vitamin C therapy stems primarily from the fact that most animals (and plants!) synthesize their own vitamin C - "vast majority" - and don't get heart disease, while those that don't, do. The only exception I've heard of is the Western Lowland Gorilla, which doesn't get heart disease when living wild, but does in captivity.

As a herbivore its primary diet comprises roots, shoots, fruit, wild celery, tree bark and pulp which is provided for in the thick forests of central and west Africa. Wikipedia dismisses their cardiovascular health as being due their their eating the seeds of the "grains of paradise" (Aframomum) plant. Zoo vets disagree, and are beginning to change their diets away from the high-sugar and high-starch food that zoos have fed gorillas for years to the food similar to what they eat in the wild, with no mention of Aframomum.

I'm not optimistic that the potential will be realized. Eg. see Codex Alimentarius here and here.

[Black Agnes]

I’ve taken anywhere from 1g/day while pregnant (500mg, morning and 500mg night) to 50g when I just felt under the weather. I usually take 3-4g, divided during the day. I read Russell Blaylock MD for other stuff besides C.

I take 10K d3, and 10mg K2 (mk4 and mk7 combined) and also selenium and lugols, magnesium and b complex. I also take vitamin A on alternate days with the d3 (they cancel each other so I don’t take them on the same day). Krill oil when we can afford it, molecularly distilled fish oil otherwise. I eat LOTS of eggs, we have our own chickens.

Cardiovascular disease in my family is like fishing in a well stocked, shallow pond. Every other visit with my internist he does the cardio ultrasound looking for anomalies. Each time he’s forced to admit my coronary system is ‘slick as snot on a doorknob’. I also low carb. I’m still overweight although not *nearly* as much as I was when doing the low fat ‘heart healthy’ diabetic diet. I lost 80lbs low carbing and have kept most of that off ovr the past decade in spite of having had 3 kids in that time period. My A1c runs between 4.8 and 5.2. I still take metformin but there are other benefits from that besides blood sugar control. My triglycerides are usually low double digits, usually 20 something.

And my thyroid is splendid. Probably the iodine/selenium/magnesium/bcomplex supplements. My doc is continually amazed that I’m in a ‘danger zone’ agewise for thyroid issues and I have the thyroid function of a healthy teenager. neener LOL.

I avoid gluten. Mainly because one of my daughters is bona fide celiacs and it’s just easier if it’s not in the house at all for her to find and sneak.