Possible connection Vitamin C and SIDS

Humans who smoke and who are under stress have higher demands and/or requirements for Vitamin C. It is not surprising for a pregnant mother who smokes to be deficient in this vitamin. Presumably infants born to such mothers would also have a higher risk of being deficient in Vitamin C. Now the immunization program - which is also a stress generating factor - is usually started with infants during the first 6 months of life when the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS is most prevalent.

During my 35 years of medical practice I only had 2 cases of SIDS both occurring in mothers who smoked. I know that such testimonials are not scientific studies but it may be of interest to know if a correlation does exist between SIDS and Vitamin C.

Before such a study is done, on the prevention side supplementing an infant's diet with Vitamin C beginning a few days before each immunization especially for such "high risk" infants would not hurt. The mother or the doctor need not be concerned as any excess Vitamin C would just be flushed out with the urine and absorbed by the diaper.

I should have added that if a correlation between SIDS and Vitamin C deficiency can be demonstrated, then prevention becomes a simple matter of vitamin supplementation. This would not only avoid the grief and psychological guilt of the parents, but also the current somewhat "charlatan" medical recommendation by the Canadian Pediatric Society and of the provincial governing bodies of the doctors namely the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons namely that of placing the infants on their backs and not face down!