Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0003969 (vitamin C deficiency)
 625 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

2 studies, A and B, were conducted to determine the metabolic effects of oral contraceptives (OCs). The subjects were healthy nonsmokers (17 to 27 years old, 1.52 m. to 1.75 m. in height, and 50 kg. to 60 kg. in weight) who were not undergoing any therapy. Controls did not have any previous history of hormonal therapy. In Study A, biochemical data from 17 women who were not on OCs were compared with those of women taking pills containing either 30 ug of ethinyl estradiol (EE) and 150 ug of D. norgestrel (18 women) or 50 ug. of EE and 250 ug. of D. norgestrel (9 women). In Study B, 8 women were studied before and during 3 to 4 cycles of low-dosed OC therapy (30 ug. of EE and 150 ug. of D. norgestrel). In both studies, the 2 oral contraceptive dosage forms had similar metabolic quantitative and qualitative changes: both resulted in an increase in serum concentration of triglycerides (30 to 33%), B-lipoproteins (27 to 29%), and ceruloplasmin (75 to 90%), and a decrease in serum levels of antithrombin 3 (22 to 29%) and ascorbic acid (30 to 42%). Serum cholesterol and phospholipid concentration did not change. The proportion of serum cholesterol carried by a-lipoproteins (high density lipoproteins) did decrease (the change is much smaller than that seen in coronary heart disease) while that carried by B-lipoproteins (or low density and very low density lipoproteins) increased. A significant negative correlation was observed between serum concentrations of ascorbic acid and cholesterol; this is interesting as clinical and experimental evidence suggests that latent ascorbic acid deficiency leads to hypercholesteroleamia, while ascorbic acid supplements reduce plasma cholesterol levels. As 500 mg. daily of ascorbic acid supplements supposedly help maintain normal ascorbic acid levels in blood during OC use, they should perhaps be prescribed to pill users in this study.
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PMID:Metabolic effects of oral contraceptives containing 30 micrograms and 50 micrograms of oestrogen. 23 Apr 11