Handbook of Vitamin C Research

172Borut Poljsak and John G. IonescuFigure 10. Effects of 8.5 g intravenous vitamin C administration on serum redox potential in a MCSpatient (male, 42 yrs).According to well known biologists thesis, no animal species is optimally adapted toenvironment (Dawkins, 1999), especially in changeable environment. Despite the newfinding on speeding up of genetic changes in humans (Hawkes, 2007), human genes didn‘tchange much during last 10.000 years, but all produced food does due to normal selectionthat agriculture does (Watson, Berry 2007). Moreover todays fruits and vegetables aredepleted of some essential micronutrients because of intensified type of production (Poljšak,2006) or because of post harvest processes - transport, storage etc (Tijskens, 2004). What isthe content of nutrients of specific fruits and vegetables we eat? How to measure with noninvasive methods the specific needs of vitamin C and other nutrients of each individual? Thepath of food supplements seems to be at the present time even more uncertain. However thereis a general trend to increase of processed food and food supplements. In most countries ofthe world the consumption of fruit and vegetables is below the minimal level of 400 g per dayadvised by WHO and FAO (FAO/WHO 2004). Even in countries that had in the past highconsumption of fruit and vegetables their consumption has been lowering (López-Torres,Barja, 2008). The addition of different food supplements to the diet with seems to be, besidesconsumption of fruit and vegetables, for different reasons, and especially in different clinicalconditions, a need as well. But more research is needed to find solutions that are closer tooptimal human diet.