Again you are making an unfounded and unsubstantiated claim. Is this a matter of faith for you, such that scientific evidence is unnecessary?

Steve,using olive leaves (alone always give a good indication on the vit.C test strips(urine).Is there any way you good run tests to prove or disprove?Thanks,Van

A scientific study found that alpha lipoic acid prevented scurvy when administered to guinea pigs fed a diet containing practically no vitamin C. It would have been rash to jump to the conclusion that alpha lipoic acid enables ascorbate synthesis in guinea pigs, and subsequent investigation did not support such a conclusion. It was found that alpha lipoic acid is a potent antioxidant,
that it is soluble in both water and oil, and that it regenerates vitamin C by reducing dehydroascorbic acid back to ascorbic acid, which in turn can regenerate oxidized vitamin E. Besides the regenerative action of alpha lipoic acid, it is a potent antioxidant, so it can neutralize free radicals that could otherwise oxidize vitamin C. The combination of the regenerative and sparing actions of alpha lipoic acid enabled the guinea pigs to survive despite having very low intakes of vitamin C.

http://books.google.com/books?id=4nODCO ... &q&f=false

An active ingredient of olive leaf, oleuropein, has been isolated, it chemical formula ascertained, and its biological effects studied. It has been found to be a potent antioxidant. As such, it may have vitamin C sparing activity similar to that of alpha lipoic acid. It has not been found to enable ascorbate synthesis in humans. Therefore, any assertion that it does needs to be supported by scientific data, which would include quantitative measurement of increases in the concentration of ascorbate in blood plasma, comparable to increases that would result from taking measured doses of vitamin C. Anecdotal evidence of urine test strips can support only an hypothesis which needs to be tested against hard scientific data. A quantitative measurement of the concentration of ascorbate in blood plasma would have to indicate an increase from a baseline level corresponding to minimal vitamin C intake, to a level known to result from taking a specific dose of vitamin C. A significant increase in the concentration would support the hypothesis and warrant investigation into the mechanism by which the concentration is raised, especially with regard to the biochemical reactions involved.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleuropein

Besides oleuropein, olive leaf contains other active compounds including hydroxytyrosol, polyphenols, flavonoids, and oleocanthal. Any one of those could have regenerative and/or sparing activity on vitamin C.

Thanks Steve for your good reply.Also olive leaf contains a trace of cyanide which may allow ascorbic acid synthesis in humans.Thanks again, Steve.Van

Van,

An interesting experiment would be to see if alpha lipoic acid or lipoate gives you a positive indication on urine test strips. Sodium-r-lipoate is rapidly absorbed from the digestive tract, so that form probably has the best chance of giving a positive indication.

Steve,this is a good thought and I will try to get alpha lipoic acid and give it a try.Others may want to do this experiment.Thanks again,Van

While you guys are checking out ALA and figure out what your testing for give this a try after you been on it for a couple of weeks.
Do a titrate to BT You'll be suprised at what you will find.
Also remember that ALA is 50% Natural And 50% synthetic. 100mg is 50% effective. The synthetic is a do nothing.
R-lipotic is natural 100mg is 100mg.

I recommended sodium-r-lipoate because only the r-enantiomer of lipoic acid occurs naturally. The synthetic s-enantiomer does not appear to have biological activity. Also, the lipoate form is more readily absorbed from the digestive tract than the acid form, which is usually a 50/50 mixture of the r and s enantiomers.

Ascorbic acid (urine) test strips? Are you referring to the ph urine test strips or something else altogether? Thanks

How reliable are these?

Mr.Fonorrow recommends them and I have used them for years with good results.The only thing is to keep them sealed in your freezer to prevent degradation.Thanks,Van