Best benefits of vitamin C that are proven by studies

Best benefits of vitamin C that are proven by studies

Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) is an essential nutrient in our body. Our body does not do it alone and we have to get it from our diet.

Vitamin C has several important functions in our body, including:

• Works as an antioxidant (protects cells from damage caused by free radicals)
• Help make collagen (a protein that provides structure for your skin, ligaments and bones)
• Improved absorption of iron (a mineral needed to provide oxygen to tissues)
• Support the immune system
• Serve as a cofactor in several physiological processes
• Vitamin C is available in many foods we eat such as citrus fruits and vegetables. It is quite easy to respect the recommended nutritional intake (RDA). Vitamin C deficiencies are rare in the United States

Nutritional supplements are common in the United States, but how do you know if you need vitamin C supplements?

Many will take vitamin C supplements because their friends swear by their benefits, celebrities endorse them on social media, or they simply believe that "if some are good, more must be better".

To determine if vitamin C supplements would benefit you, consider your health and your current diet. This should also be discussed with your doctor.

This article provides an overview of vitamin C, when supplementation can be beneficial and when it is not needed. After reading this article, you need to understand if vitamin C supplements are a good idea for you.

How much vitamin C should I take daily?

The National Academy of Sciences establishes recommendations for the supply of essential nutrients. For vitamin C, the recommended nutritional intake (RDA) varies between 65 and 120 milligrams (mg) per day.

The RDA for men is 90 mg per day and for women 75 mg per day. The needs increase during pregnancy (85 mg), breastfeeding (120 mg) and for smokers (35 mg additional to counter the oxidative damage of smoking).

What are the benefits of taking vitamin C?

Taking vitamin C supplements has several potential benefits. Taking vitamin C can ensure that you are meeting your needs.

Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant that can protect cells from free radicals and oxidative stress. It also plays a role in the absorption of nutrients (especially for people who depend on plant foods as a source of iron) and in wound healing (thanks to the production of collagen).

The additional health benefits of vitamin C supplements are discussed in detail below.

8 health benefits of vitamin C

1. Shorter duration of colds

Vitamin C is often promoted to prevent colds. Yet scientific evidence does not support this. Some studies suggest that vitamin C can shorten the duration of cold symptoms.

The best way to keep your immune system well-adjusted and able to fight infection is to make sure you get enough vitamin C from your diet. Men with marginal vitamin C status received supplementation to reduce the duration of symptoms.

Since supplements are reasonably safe, rarely hurt, and relatively inexpensive, adding them to your diet when you have a cold is reasonable.

Vitamin C supplementation can also reduce the duration of pneumonia symptoms.

2. Helps lower blood pressure

A large study on the effects of vitamin C supplementation (500 mg / day) on blood pressure has shown a significant reduction in blood pressure. The change was more significant for those who were hypertensive (have high blood pressure) at the start of the study.

However, the change was not as large as that seen with the DASH diet. Therefore, a comprehensive approach to managing hypertension, including healthy eating, physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight and supplements will result in the greatest reduction in blood pressure.

3. May reduce the risk of heart disease

Additional vitamin C can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Research has shown that supplementing with 500 mg of vitamin C daily lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels. High LDL cholesterol is a risk factor for developing heart disease.

Other studies have not found antioxidant supplementation (including vitamin C) to alter LDL and HDL cholesterol levels.

Other research reviews suggest that vitamin C did not affect cholesterol levels. However, certain groups of people may benefit from the effect of vitamin C. These groups may be people with higher body mass index (BMI), higher glucose and cholesterol levels and marginal vitamin status C.

The variety of research methods and types and doses of supplements makes it difficult to conclude on the ability of vitamin C to reduce risk factors for heart disease.

Additional research has found that vitamin C improves endothelial function (the endothelium is the membrane of blood vessels), especially in those with risk factors.

4. Helps absorb nutrients

Vitamin C is necessary for your body to absorb iron, especially plant sources of iron.

Adequate vitamin C intake can increase uptake of non-heme iron from plant sources by up to 2-4 times. This is an important consideration for vegetarians and those moving towards more plant-based diets.

Vitamin C also plays a role in the absorption of folate.

5. Reduce uric acid levels and the risk of gout

Vitamin C supplementation is associated with a lower incidence of gout.

Taking a 500 mg vitamin C supplement daily reduced serum uric acid levels. High levels of uric acid are a risk factor for developing gout.

6. Prevent age-related cognitive decline

Vitamin C supplementation is associated with a lower prevalence of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease.

Additional research suggests that maintaining healthy levels of vitamin C (from diet only) protects against age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. However, avoiding a vitamin C deficiency is probably more beneficial than simply supplementing an already healthy diet.

Additional studies have failed to show that intake of antioxidants consistently improves cognition. More research is needed in this area.

7. Reduce inflammation

Vitamin C supplementation does not appear to prevent people from developing diabetes or improve insulin resistance.

Study found that providing 500 mg of vitamin C twice daily to people with diabetes reduced markers of inflammation (reactive protein C, interleukin-6), as well as fasting glucose and triglyceride levels. Another study found that 500 mg of vitamin C twice a day in total and LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

8. May reduce age-related eye dysfunction

Research has shown that supplementing with vitamin C (in addition to vitamin E, beta-carotene, and zinc) reduces the chances of developing macular degeneration.

Vitamin C can also protect against cataracts.

How to get more vitamin C in your diet

Vitamin C is mainly found in fruits and vegetables.

You can meet your daily vitamin C needs by including just one of the following (1 cup):

• Kiwi - 164 mg
• Red pepper - 190 mg
• Tomato juice - 72 mg
• Orange slices - 95.8 mg
• Orange juice - 72 mg
• Strawberries, halved - 89.4 mg 
• Other good sources of vitamin C include green pepper, grapefruit and other citrus fruits, papaya, broccoli, cantaloupe, mango, cabbage, tomatoes and green cabbage.

Does Vitamin C give you energy?

Vitamin C does not provide energy in the form of calories.

It plays a role in many body functions, including acting as a cofactor or reducing agent for several chemical processes. It can indirectly cause energy production.

To confuse things, the signs of vitamin C deficiency are similar to an energy deficiency. Fatigue, anemia, weak collagen, and anorexia can all be signs of vitamin C deficiency.

Can you get too much vitamin C?

While our daily vitamin C (ascorbic acid) requirements are less than 100 mg, the upper tolerable limit is up to 2000 mg per day. Our daily needs are just the amount people need to prevent deficiencies.

Sometimes our body is able to control what it needs. Vitamin C is a good example, because your body absorbs more vitamin when it needs it.

Once your blood level reaches a "saturation" point, the absorption of the vitamin will decrease and your kidneys will work harder to clean it. If you've heard the phrase "having expensive urine" in supplements, it's often in reference to this vitamin, which is excreted in the urine when consumed in excess. The absorption rate can drop to 50% when taking 1000 mg of vitamin C per day.

Vitamin C toxicity is rare. Cases of nausea and vomiting have been reported after taking 5,000 to 15,000 mg per day of vitamin C.

For most healthy people, there is no risk of supplementing with vitamin C. However, there is no reason to go beyond the tolerable upper limit of 2000 mg / day.

People with kidney disease, kidney stones, or iron overload should avoid supplementing with vitamin C. Supplementing with vitamin C can promote oxalate formation. It can also worsen iron overload due to its role in helping iron absorption.