ABSTRACT
Ascorbic acid estimated by the method of Mindlin and Butler was no longer detectable in the blood plasma after 41 d on the diet, at which time the white blood cell and blood platelet ascorbic acid level had fallen from 28 to 10 mg/100 g. Ascorbic acid deficiency predisposes to serious complications, and these in turn may hasten depletion of ascorbic acid stores. People who take plenty of exercise seem to have higher serum ascorbic acid levels than sedentary individuals while bedridden paraplegics and tetraplegics tend to have lower than normal ascorbic acid stores. Dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) does possess vitamin activity when taken by mouth, because it can be reduced to ascorbic acid in the body, but DHAA has a higher intake requirement than ascorbic acid because of its short half-life and tendency to hydrolyze. Clearly, the ascorbic acid content of the food of these boys must have been inadequate for their needs at the time of the study.
