title: Plasma levels and urinary vitamin C excretion in schizophrenic patients.
abstract: Vitamin C status was determined in schizophrenic subjects using fasting plasma levels and the urinary dose response after an oral load of 1.0 g ascorbic acid. The study was carried out in 20 schizophrenic patients and 15 controls with the diagnosis of neurosis who were on the same hospital diet for at least 2 months. The schizophrenic subjects had significantly lower fasting plasma vitamin C levels (P less than 0.05) and 6-h urinary vitamin C excretion after an ascorbic acid load test (P less than 0.01). Since urinary vitamin C excretion in both groups was significantly associated with differences in fasting vitamin C plasma levels (P less than 0.001), a new group of 15 schizophrenics and 15 controls was supplemented with 70 mg of ascorbic acid daily for 4 weeks in order to optimize and standardize their vitamin C plasma levels before the ascorbic acid loading test. The results showed that after 4 weeks of supplementation the average fasting plasma vitamin C levels were almost identical in both examined groups, but the urinary vitamin C excretion was again significantly lower in schizophrenic patients (P less than 0.05). These results are in agreement with the hypothesis that schizophrenia may be associated with impaired ascorbic acid metabolism.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001205:Ascorbic Acid