>Doesn't glucose compete with vitamin C at the cellular level? If so,
>then elevated blood glucose should result in symptoms of vitamin C
>deficiency

Sounds reasonable.

And, this highlights one of my "beefs" with all of these deficiency claims. Do vitamin/mineral deficiencies occur? Of course they do. Do they occur with the frequency oftentimes claimed? Not by a long shot. So many well-meaning researchers and doctors (Pauling included) just can't get past the allopathic thinking process. If I have a symptom, and I feed it a vitamin, and it goes away - aha, it must be a vitamin deficiency!

I had a co-worker several years ago who was "diagnosed" by a medical doctor with a vitamin deficiency (one of the b vitamins I believe). At first supplementation alleviated her symptoms, but in time the symptoms returned. It was eventually determined that she was taking in too much of something else that was blocking absorbtion of the vitamin. Plus there were hormonal issue involved - can't recall all the details. Point is it was more of a "vitamin inefficiency" rather than a deficiency.