4 Ways Vitamin C Supplements Can Improve Your Health
Vitamin C, a highly favored antioxidant, is well - known for its benefits to immune health. During the cold and flu seasons, many people choose to take vitamin C supplements to prevent illnesses.
Although boosting immunity is one of the important functions of vitamin C, this essential vitamin has some other lesser - known benefits. Let's explore these benefits together, as well as the excellent sources of vitamin C.
It should be noted that dietary supplements are less regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and their suitability for you varies from person to person. The effects of supplements can be influenced by many factors, such as type, dosage, frequency of use, and interactions with existing medications. Therefore, before starting to take any supplement, it is essential to consult your healthcare provider or pharmacist.
1. Improve Skin Health
Typical symptoms of vitamin C deficiency include slow wound healing and fragile skin. Vitamin C is crucial for skin health, mainly due to its close relationship with collagen.
Collagen is a key component of connective tissue, and vitamin C is essential for collagen formation. So, when the intake of vitamin C is insufficient, the quality of collagen deteriorates, leading to poor skin conditions.
In addition, vitamin C can work synergistically with another antioxidant, vitamin E, to protect the skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
2. Enhance Immunity
The role of vitamin C in skin health also has immune benefits, as the skin is one of the body's defense systems against pathogens. Moreover, vitamin C plays a role in both innate immunity and adaptive immunity, which are the body's initial and targeted responses to specific pathogens respectively.
The antioxidant properties of vitamin C help prevent oxidative damage to healthy cells.
Specifically, for athletes, people exposed to extremely cold weather, and those on the verge of vitamin C deficiency, consuming at least 200 milligrams of vitamin C per day may reduce the risk of getting a cold. For the general population, while vitamin C supplements have not been proven to prevent colds, taking them prophylactically (rather than after getting a cold) may reduce the duration of the illness and the severity of symptoms.
3. Potentially Reduce the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
Oxidative damage, which occurs when there are too many unstable molecules (called free radicals) in the body and not enough antioxidants to neutralize them, is considered one of the causes of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, antioxidants like vitamin C may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. A 2020 study found that supplementing with at least 500 milligrams of vitamin C per day was associated with a reduction in blood pressure levels.
However, many other studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the role of vitamin C in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Thus, more research is needed to further explore this connection.
4. Aid in Iron Absorption
Vitamin C plays an important role in enhancing the absorption of non - heme iron, which is mainly derived from plant - based foods. If you are at risk of iron deficiency, especially if you follow a plant - based diet, adding vitamin C - rich foods to your diet can help you better absorb iron from foods such as beans, seeds, and nuts. For example, adding red peppers to your beans or pairing oatmeal with nuts, seeds, and strawberries.
Food Sources of Vitamin C
Besides obtaining vitamin C through supplements, there are many excellent food sources. It's easy to notice that most of these sources are fruits and vegetables, which contain many other nutrients important for health in addition to vitamin C.
Foods rich in vitamin C are as follows:
Red Bell Peppers: Contain 95 milligrams (mg) per half - cup, accounting for 106% of the daily requirement.
Orange Juice: Each ¾ - cup serving contains 93 milligrams, or 103% of the Daily Value (DV).
Oranges: Each medium - sized orange contains 70 milligrams, or 78% of the DV.
Grapefruit Juice: Each ¾ - cup serving contains 70 milligrams, or 78% of the DV.
Kiwi: Each medium - sized kiwi contains 64 milligrams, which is 71% of the daily intake.
Green Bell Peppers: Each half - cup of raw peppers contains 60 milligrams, or 67% of the daily intake.
Broccoli: Each half - cup of cooked broccoli contains 51 milligrams, or 57% of the daily intake.
Strawberries: Each half - cup of sliced strawberries contains 49 milligrams, or 54% of the daily intake.
Brussels Sprouts: Each half - cup of cooked Brussels sprouts contains 48 milligrams, or 53% of the daily intake.
Baked Potatoes: Each medium - sized potato contains 17 milligrams, which is 19% of the daily intake.
How to Take Vitamin C Supplements
Supplements are also a way to meet your vitamin C needs. They come in various forms, including capsules, powders, gummies, chewable tablets, and liquids.
Vitamin C can be taken at any time of the day. However, to reduce the likelihood of gastrointestinal side effects caused by its high acid level, it is recommended to take it in divided doses or with food.
Precautions When Buying
Since the purity and potency of supplements are not regulated by the FDA, it is recommended to choose products that have been independently tested when purchasing. Reputable independent testing organizations include the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), NSF, and ConsumerLab.com. If in doubt, purchase from a reputable brand and always consult a healthcare provider before starting to take a new supplement.
Dosage
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamin C varies depending on age, gender, pregnancy or breastfeeding status, and smoking status. The RDA of vitamin C (especially from food sources) is as follows:
0 - 6 months: 40 milligrams.
7 - 12 months: 50 milligrams.
1 - 3 years: 15 milligrams.
4 - 8 years: 25 milligrams.
9 - 13 years: 45 milligrams.
14 - 18 years: 75 milligrams for males; 65 milligrams for females; 80 milligrams for pregnant women; 115 milligrams for breastfeeding women.
19 years and above: 90 milligrams for males; 75 milligrams for females; 85 milligrams for pregnant women; 120 milligrams for breastfeeding women.
Research shows that when the daily intake is between 30 - 180 milligrams, 70% - 90% of vitamin C is absorbed, while when the daily intake exceeds 1 gram, the absorption rate is less than 50%.
Is Vitamin C Safe?
Since vitamin C is a water - soluble vitamin, the risk of toxicity is low. When an excessive amount of vitamin C is ingested, the body usually excretes the excess through urine instead of storing it.
Some studies suggest that excessive intake of vitamin C may cause other health problems, such as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, excessive iron absorption, increased oxidative damage, and an increased risk of kidney stones. However, most of these studies are inconclusive or have only been conducted in test - tubes rather than on real people. Regarding iron absorption, problems usually only occur in people with hereditary hemochromatosis.
If you are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or taking statins, it is recommended to consult a healthcare provider before taking vitamin C supplements.
Potential Drug Interactions
People undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy should generally avoid taking vitamin C supplements. Research on the effects of antioxidant supplements (such as vitamin C) on cancer treatment and tumor progression has produced varying results. Therefore, if you are undergoing these forms of cancer treatment, it is essential to consult your oncologist before starting to take vitamin C supplements.
People taking statins, a type of drug commonly used to lower cholesterol levels, may also need to postpone taking vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C may reduce the effectiveness of statins because it minimizes their positive impact on high - density lipoprotein cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) levels.
If you are taking statins, consult your doctor before starting to take vitamin C supplements.
Can You Over - Consume?
Although vitamin C poisoning is rare, a Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) has been established for foods and vitamin C supplements. The UL varies by age as follows:
1 - 3 years: 400 milligrams.
4 - 8 years: 650 milligrams.
9 - 13 years: 1200 milligrams.
14 - 18 years: 1800 milligrams.
19 years and above: 2000 milligrams.
Although vitamin C is generally safe, excessive intake may still cause some side effects. The most common side effects are related to supplements because the vitamin concentration in supplements is often much higher than that in foods.
Possible side effects include:
Diarrhea
Nausea
Abdominal cramps
Other gastrointestinal disorders
Quick Review
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and a water - soluble vitamin. It plays a key role in collagen synthesis and protecting the skin from UV damage, which is of great significance for skin health. At the same time, it can also promote immune health, aid in iron absorption, and even potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Consuming vitamin C - rich foods is generally safe, but for people taking statins or undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, supplementing with vitamin C may pose risks. In general, it is advisable to consult a reliable healthcare provider before starting to take a new supplement.
Scan QR code and push to mobile phone access.
Copyright Notice: This article is published by TIFETIPS, if you need to reprint, please indicate the source.
