ABSTRACT
Deficiency of ascorbic acid, or a disturbance of ascorbic acid metabolism, can cause temporary or permanent damage to the ß-cells of the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas, resulting in temporary or permanent diabetes mellitus. High-dosage ascorbic acid may be toxic to people with bronzed diabetes due to hemochromatosis in ß-thalassemia and presumably in other forms of iron storage disease. Observations by W. Stepp et al. revealed that ascorbic acid can be useful in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. R. Pfleger and F. Scholl observed vitamin C deficiency in diabetics and reported that ascorbic acid administration reduced the amount of insulin needed to control the blood sugar. J. F. Dice and C. W. Daniel, of Stanford University in California, reported that large and increasing doses of ascorbic acid progressively reduced the insulin requirement of a juvenileonset diabetic. It is general policy, to give modest doses of ascorbic acid with desferrioxamine and vitamin E to patients.
