Ask anyone about vitamins and chances are the first one that pops into mind is vitamin C.
Both health and beauty gurus sing the praises of Vitamin C because of its numerous benefits to one’s well-being including better immunity and glowing skin. However, there’s more to vitamin C than helping you to resist colds and improving your complexion.
Why do we need vitamin C?
Think of Vitamin C as a repairman. Vitamin C is essential to health because it helps repair tissues all over the body. It aids in the production of collagen, a protein that plays a big role in the formation of skin, bones, cartilage, ligaments, and even blood vessels. Vitamin C helps:
- Heal wounds
- Repair bones, teeth, and cartilage
- Absorb non-heme iron (iron from plant-based foods)
Just like vitamin E, vitamin C is also a known antioxidant. Antioxidants are nutrients that protect healthy cells from the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals occur naturally in the body as a result of metabolism. The human body is actually equipped to handle them, however, due to exposure to pollution and stress, the number of free radicals can become excessive. This is when antioxidants come to the rescue by neutralising them. Excessive free radicals contribute greatly to poor heart health and even cancer.
In addition to being an antioxidant itself, vitamin C also recharges other antioxidants. In a nutshell, Vitamin C as an antioxidant slows down:
- Aging
- The development of heart disease, cancer, and other degenerative diseases
Vitamin C deficiency
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin meaning any unused quantity is flushed out of the body regularly. Real vitamin C deficiency is rare and in its most extreme form is called scurvy. However, even just low levels of vitamin C in the body can result in:
- slow recovery from infection
- poor wound healing
- bleeding gums
- high blood pressure
- easy bruising and even weight gain
If you have a varied diet, the chances of a Vitamin C deficiency is low. Most people these days subsist on poor diets which is why supplementation has become necessary.
If you want to boost your vitamin C intake in the most natural way, it’s as simple as altering your diet. Make sure to include food that is rich in Vitamin C, and we’re not just talking about oranges! Excellent sources of vitamin C include:
- cantaloupes
- green peppers
- kiwis
- papayas
- cabbages
- Brussels sprouts
- tomatoes
- potatoes
Vitamin C supplements
Maintaining a balanced diet may be trickier for fussy eaters. In this case, taking supplements is ideal. In tablet form, vitamin C is known as Ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid tablets are quite easy to find in pharmacies and don’t require a prescription.
The recommended daily intake for adults is between 65-90 mg per day. You might find that most supplements sold in pharmacies are upwards of 200 mg which is not a problem because the upper limit of vitamin C intake is 2,000 mg.
While it’s rare for the body to have an adverse reaction to high levels of vitamin C, it’s still possible to experience the following when you have too much:
- Bloating
- Abdominal cramps
- A headache
- Insomnia
- Kidney stones
- Heartburn
- Diarrhoea
Apart from tablets, holistic beauty and health markets are also abound with other types of supplements. One of the most popular is the vitamin C serum which is applied to the skin to improve elasticity and all-over complexion. It is often touted as an anti-aging product since vitamin C boosts collagen production (which helps repair wrinkles) and is reported to brighten the skin.
Vitamin C powders are also available in most health stores. They don’t differ much from tablets in terms of how they work but they are great for people who have trouble swallowing pills.
And for those who are intent on supercharging themselves with vitamin C both for health and beauty purposes, there are vitamin C injections. Popular among celebrities, vitamin injections yield the same effects as other forms of vitamin C supplements and though glamorised, should not be thought of as a cure-all.
