Vitamin C Fact, Vitamin C, generally called ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble supplement found in specific foods. In the body, it goes about as an antioxidant, protecting cells from the damage brought about by free radicals.
Free radicals are substances that are produced when our bodies convert the food we eat into building blocks.
People are exposed to free radicals in the environment from tobacco smoke, air pollution, and sunlight.
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In this article:
What happens if we don’t get enough vitamin C?
Foods are rich in vitamin C?
What types of vitamin C supplements are available?
Am I getting enough nutrient C?
What are some effects of vitamin C on health?
Cancer prevention
Cardiovascular disease
Eye disease
Colds and flu
What happens If we don’t get enough vitamin C?
Vitamin C is found in various foods that we eat and the need is extraordinary. Scurvy, the disease that is due to vitamin C insufficiency may occur. Mariners who live in the sea for some time and who have no consumption of fruits and vegetables oftentimes got scurvy. Today, scurvy is not that common, but not getting enough vitamin C may provoke pallor, swollen gums, infections, dry hair, and poor wound healing.
Foods are rich in vitamin C?
Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of vitamin C. You can get some amounts of vitamin C by eating a some foods including the following:
Citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits and their juices, along with red and green peppers and kiwi fruit, which have a lot of vitamin C.
Other foods such as broccoli, strawberries, melon, potatoes, and tomatoes
The vitamin C content may be affected by cooking. Steaming or microwaving may lessen the damage of cooking. Fortunately, many fruits and vegetables contain vitamin C.
What types of vitamin C supplements are available?
Most multivitamins have vitamin C. Vitamin C is moreover available as a supplement alone or in combination with various nutrients. The vitamin C in food is mostly ascorbic acid, yet vitamin C may also be available as sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, other mineral ascorbates, and ascorbic acid with bioflavonoids. Research has not shown that any form of vitamin C is better than the other forms.
Am I getting enough nutrient C?
Vitamin C can be obtained from regular food and beverages. Yet, there are some people who may have trouble getting enough vitamin C:
People who smoke and those who are exposed to secondhand smoke, in part because smoke increases the amount of vitamin C that the body needs to repair damage caused by free radicals. People who smoke need 35 mg more vitamin C per day than nonsmokers.
Infants who are fed evaporated or boiled cow’s milk, because cow’s milk has very little vitamin C and heat can destroy vitamin C. Cow’s milk is not endorsed for infants under 1 year of age. Breast milk and infant formula have adequate amounts of vitamin C.
People who eat a very limited variety of food.
People with certain medical conditions such as severe malabsorption, some types of cancer, and kidney disease requiring hemodialysis.
What are some effects of vitamin C on health?
Scientists are examining Vitamin C to perceive how it affects health. Here are some of their findings.
Cancer prevention
People with high levels of vitamin C from vegetables and fruits may have a lower risk of getting various cancers such as lung, chest, and colon cancers. In any case, taking vitamin C supplements, with or without other antoxidants, doesn’t seem to shield people from getting cancers.
Cardiovascular disease
People who eat fruits and vegetables may have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers believe that antioxidants that are present in these foods might be responsible for these effects, since oxidative damage is a critical reason behind cardiovascular disease. Regardless, scientists aren’t sure whether vitamin C itself, either from food or supplements, shields people from cardiovascular disease. It is moreover questionable whether vitamin C shields people from cardiovascular disease in its early stages.
Eye disease
Age related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts are two of the primary reasons of blindness in aging people. Experts don’t believe that vitamin C and antioxidants can affect the risk of getting AMD. However, some data suggest that vitamin C combined with various antioxidants may help moderate AMD development.
Colds and flu
Regardless of the way vitamin C affects the common cold, research shows that for a considerable number of individuals, vitamin C supplements don’t diminish the risk of getting viral infections. In any case, people who take vitamin C supplements regularly may have shorter cold durations or somewhat milder signs when they do have an infection. Using vitamin C supplements after cold symptoms may not prevent the infection.
