Paul Sand wrote: > BTW, for a few months my C intake from food is very low and I stopped taking > C supplements and nothing happens. So my question: > what are most reliable signs of C deficiency? Are there any reliable tests > to find out ? > With so many other antioxidants (A,E) why we care that much about C? When I stop taking w3 supplements it takes me about 3 weeks or so to notice the effects (my skin gets dry and cracks around my right knuckle, go figure), and I have heard that deficiencies of vitamins and minerals take months to resolve, so I would expect a long delay in noticing effects of a shortfall if there is one. You are probably getting enough vitamin C through diet to prevent any outward signs of deficiency. The question is, does extra supplementary vitamin C get you anything? For me, it does: my allergies are significantly better and I have fewer aches and pains when I take about 6g per day of ascorbate. It's not that I *need* to take this (I ran out and haven't taken any for a few days and feel no ill effects) but over the long haul it noticably helps me. I think E is very important to reduce lipid peroxidation and it is hard to get a lot of E through diet, so I supplement with E. I also supplement with A in the form of cod liver oil, you could take desiccated liver tablets or eat liver once or twice a week to avoid non-paleo supplements. If you don't take E I don't think you'd notice anything but I could be wrong. --Richard