Vitamin C facts and fiction: topic of next Oregon State Science Pub talk

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Vitamin C facts and fiction will be the topic of the April 12 Oregon State University Science Pub.

The virtual event will feature a talk by Alexander Michels, a research associate and communications officer for Oregon State’s Linus Pauling Institute. His presentation, a joint effort of Oregon State University in Corvallis and OSU-Cascades in Bend, is called: “Vitamin C and Health: Fact versus Fiction.”

“Fifty years after OSU alumnus and two-time Nobel Prize recipient Linus Pauling revealed the health benefits of taking vitamin C, scientists are still learning new things about the molecule,” Michels said. “Although there are claims about vitamin C that are not supported by current science, Dr. Pauling launched this vitamin into a new era of discovery – it was the start of modern nutrition science.”

Today, the frontiers of vitamin C research are found in cancer, sepsis and the immune system. However, many people don’t know if these discoveries change what they should eat or what supplements they should take.

Michels, who has a doctoral degree in biochemistry from Oregon State and an extensive background in vitamin C research with a specialty in understanding vitamin C transport through the body, will address those vitamin C questions during his talk. A question-and-answer session follows Michels’ presentation.

The free Science Pub will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The event will be broadcast on YouTube Live. Registration is required and can be completed at: https://beav.es/Jyo.

Sponsors of Science Pub include the OSU Office of Research, OSU-Cascades in Bend and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Connect Central Oregon, a collaborative program with the OSU-Cascades Innovation Co-Lab, will produce the event with student interns.