Ascorbic acid requirements of older adolescents

Abstract

1. The recommended allowance of the National Reasearch Council, 100 mg ascorbic acid for the 18-year-old boys and 80 mg for the 16 to 19-year-old girls, did not maintain mean plasma ascorbic acid values at levels as high as the respective saturation means. For the girls all the mean values were above 0.80 mg per cent (ranging from 0.83 to 1.07). The boys' values ranged from 0.67 to 0.91 mg per cent; two out of the seven values were below 0.80 mg per cent. 2. When the ascorbic acid intake was decreased to 10 mg less than the recommended allowance of the National Research Council, it was found that for six of the eight girls the 70 mg intake of ascorbic acid was as effective as the 80 mg intake in maintaining the ascorbic acid concentration of the plasma, and that for six of the seven boys (JJ's values were excluded) an intake of 90 ing of ascorbic acid was as effective as 100 mg in maintaining the plasma ascorbic acid concentration. 3. The plasma ascorbic acid concentrations of these subjects showed individual variations even when the ascorbic acid intake was considered on the basis of mg of ascorbic acid per kg of body weight. 4. The ten-day experimental periods were more desirable than the periods of one week. This was particularly true for the saturation period when some of the subjects had been on diets low in ascorbic acid prior to the study. 5. The data in this study were analyzed statistically by testing the significance of differences between means and by analysis of variance.