Experimental stress has been produced in untold thousands of animals by exposing them to loud noises, blinking lights, extreme heat or cold, rarefied air, electric shock, and x-rays and other forms of radiation; by injecting into them drugs, chemicals, bacteria, or viruses; by submitting them to surgery, burns, "accidents," fasting, immobility, or making them run on a treadmill to exhaustion; and by feeding them mineral oil, innumerable toxic substances, or diets deficient or excessive in one or more nutrients. The nutritional needs of these animals invariably skyrocket at the onset of stress and remain high in comparison with those of animals not submitted to such torments. Stress produced by forced exercise, giving excessive thyroid, or exposure to x-rays increases the need for all nutrients. If these increased nutritional requirements are met, little harm is done; if not, damage may be severe or even fatal.

The adrenal cortex is even more sensitive to dietary deprivation. A pantothenic-acid deficiency causes the glands to shrivel and to become filled with blood and dead cells; cortisone and other hormones can no longer be produced, and the many protective changes characteristic of stress do not occur. Even a slight lack of pantothenic acid causes a marked decrease in the quantity of hormones released. The pituitary, adrenal, and sex hormones are all made from cholesterol, but without pantothenic acid, cholesterol cannot be replaced in the glands after once being used . If generous amounts of pantothenic acid are given and the deficiency has not been severe, adrenal hormones can be produced normally within 24 hours. When the deprivation has been prolonged, however, a period of repair is necessary and recovery is slow and uncertain.

A slight deficiency of linoleic acid or vitamins A, B2 or E can also limit hormone production and cause a degeneration of the adrenal cortex; hence each is as essential as pantothenic acid. The adrenals of volunteers low in essential fatty acids produced markedly fewer hormones than when the diet was adequate. Damage resulting from such deficiencies can be quickly rectified because the adrenals need these nutrients in small amounts only. Vitamin B2 given to animals previously deficient in it immediately promotes normal adrenal function. When oil supplying linoleic acid is given to rats lacking it, the production of adrenal hormones quickly increases almost go per cent.

Although adrenal hormones can be produced without vitamin C, the need for this nutrient is tremendously increased by stress; and if undersupplied, the glands quickly hemorrhage and the output of hormones is markedly decreased. This vitamin accelerates the rate of cortisone production, appears to improve its utilization and delay its breakdown, and alleviates many of the limitations resulting from a pantothenic-acid deficiency. Apparently because large amounts of vitamin C are used to detoxify harmful substances formed in the body during stress, greater than normal quantities are lost in the urine at this time.

Huge amounts of vitamin C appear to protect animals from every form of stress. For instance, rats exposed to severe cold died unless they received massive quantities of this vitamin. Guinea pigs, exposed to the same low temperature, remained healthy when given 75 times their normal requirement of vitamin C; if only allowed smaller amounts, their adrenals hemorrhaged and many animals died. Translated into human terms, 75 times our normal daily requirement of vitamin C would be approximately 5,625 milligrams. Such a quantity seems startling, yet during severe stress it may not be excessive.

When 144 elderly hospitalized patients whose adrenal glands could no longer respond normally when stimulated with the pituitary hormone ACTH were given 500 milligrams of vitamin C daily, the adrenals were markedly activated. Adrenal hormones in the blood and urine increased immediately. Though the patients suffered from various illnesses and their medication remained unchanged, many showed improvement.

Pantothenic-Acid Protection For Humans

Because rats receiving adequate pantothenic acid swam twice as long in cold water as deficient animals, and those given excessive amounts swam 4 times as long, the effect of large quantities of pantothenic acid was tested on healthy men submitted to stress. These volunteers were immersed in cold water for 8 minutes before being given this vitamin and again after receiving 10,000 milligrams (10 grams) of calcium pantothenate daily for 6 weeks. Their stress lasted only 8 minutes, yet the pantothenic acid prevented destruction of protein, retention of salt, and a rise in blood sugar; and it caused the blood cholesterol to fall and gave many other "physiological advantages." There were no toxic effects even though the amount of pantothenic acid taken daily was 500 times that recommended by the National Research Council for people under the stress of illness.

Such a study indicates that a nutrient that can help healthy individuals during a few minutes of stress can prove invaluable to ill persons who may have endured stress for days, months, or even years.