Vitamin C, also known as Ascorbic acid, acts as an antioxidant in protecting the body’s cells from the damage caused by free radicals. Your body needs vitamin C to make collagen, which is an essential protein required in the structure of your skin, maintaining the integrity of your cartilage, prevention of bone loss, and wound healing. Vitamin C also improves the absorption of iron from plant-based foods and supports your immune system in protecting the body from disease and illness.
The amount of daily vitamin C needed will depend on your sex, age, and dietary choices. Also, whether you are pregnant or a smoker. Smoking increases the amount of vitamin C that the body needs to repair the damage caused by free radicals. People who smoke need 35 mg/day more of vitamin C than non-smokers.
Good sources of vitamin C are fresh fruits and vegetables, like oranges and grapefruit. Other foods include red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, cantaloupe, baked potatoes, and tomatoes. Taking too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. In people with a condition called hemochromatosis which causes the body to store too much iron, a large amount of vitamin C could cause an increase in iron which can damage your bodies tissues.
Vitamin C has various effects on your health, including:
- Treating the common cold. People who take vitamin C supplements regularly might have slightly shorter colds or somewhat milder symptoms when they do have a cold. Using vitamin C supplements after a cold already starts does not appear to reduce symptoms.
- Research suggests that vitamin C combined with other nutrients might help slow AMD (age related macular degeneration) progression.
- People with high intakes of vitamin C from fruits and vegetables might have a lower risk of getting many types of cancer, such as lung, breast and colon cancer.
- Because of its antioxidant properties, vitamin C aids in your skin’s natural regeneration process, which helps your body repair damaged skin cells.
Vitamin C is a much-needed antioxidant that should be apart of your diet. Supplements can be taken to make sure you are intaking the correct daily amount of vitamin C, and at our clinic we sell high quality supplements. We sell Vitamin C tablets, along with BioCgel which is easier on the stomach and contains extra strength bioflavonoids (which aid to enhance the action of vitamin C).
For more information you can talk to Dr. Kim Greene-DesLauriers or Dr. Pierre DesLauriers.
References:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-Consumer/
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2016005/article/14612-eng.htmvitamin c