ABSTRACT
Possibly certain strains of female guinea pigs do retain the capacity to synthesize ascorbic acid to a limited degree, as suggested by Odumosu and Wilson. Hughes et al. conducted a study of tissue ascorbic acid depletion rates in albino guinea pigs by loading them with ascorbic acid for 25 d and then analyzing their tissues at set intervals after the commencement of a vitamin C-free diet. Kirk and Chieffi reported somewhat lower mean whole blood total ascorbic acid than in women between the ages of 16 and 39 years, but this difference was not found between older men and women; they observed that season, age, and state of health were important variables. Loh and Wilson measuring total ascorbic acid in plasma and leukocytes, reported a sex difference in the metabolism of ascorbic acid in the reproductive age, but they found that this difference disappeared in old age. Iron storage can decrease leukocyte ascorbic acid levels.
