18 Health Benefits of Vitamin C, Food Sources, Deficiency, Dosage and Side Effects

 

Vitamin C is very beneficial to health. For example, it can help lower blood pressure and boost our immune system. Many fruits and vegetables contain it.

Since vitamin C is an essential nutrient, your body is unable to produce it. Still, it plays a variety of roles and has been linked to several important health benefits.

75 mg for women and 90 mg for men is the recommended daily dose of vitamin C. Even though it's generally recommended to obtain vitamin C from food, a lot of people use pills to make up the difference.

What is Vitamin C?

Ascorbic acid, another name for vitamin C, is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential to good health. It's what's known as an essential nutrient, meaning that you have to get it from your diet because your body doesn't make it."

Being a potent antioxidant, vitamin C aids in your body's defense against cell damage. It is also essential for tissue growth and development, wound healing, and immune system maintenance.

   

Food Sources: 

The greatest foods to get this vitamin from are fruits and vegetables.

Among the best places to get vitamin C are:

• Both green and red peppers
• Orange juice and oranges
• Grapefruit
• Strawberries
•  Kiwi
• Kale and other leafy green vegetables
• Tomatoes
• Potato
•  Green peas
•  Lemon
• Pineapple
• Guava
• Lychees
• spinach
• Papaya
•  Bell peppers
•  Cruciferous vegetables (Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, and Cauliflower)

Health Benefits of Vitamin C:

 One vitamin cannot solve major health problems. They often complement one another, and other lifestyle choices, like as quitting smoking and getting enough sleep and exercise, are essential. Nevertheless, evidence shows vitamin C may be beneficial to health in the following areas:

These are 18 benefits of vitamin C supplements that have been proven by science.

1-Vitamin C May Support Treatment for Cancer:

A diet high in fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin C appears to lower the risk of several types of cancer. However, it's unclear from the study whether this is due to the vitamin C content or just to eating a generally healthy diet. In general, there is conflicting evidence about the protective effects of vitamin C against cancer. For example, a meta-analysis found no connection between vitamin C supplementation and the prevention of cancer.

 Vitamin C may increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation when given intravenously at extremely high levels. High vitamin C dosages, when paired with anticancer medications, were proven to help against breast cancer cells in a study published in Anticancer Research. One major warning: vitamin C levels given to research participants were incredibly high, higher than what most individuals may reasonably expect from their diet and over-the-counter pills.

High-dose intravenous (IV) vitamin C has been proven in certain studies to enhance quality of life and lessen adverse effects associated with traditional cancer treatments when given in supportive care. Studies have nevertheless also revealed that antioxidants may have drawbacks. They might: Promote the survival of precancerous or cancerous cells.

Some medical professionals advise increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants because those who consume a diet high in vitamin C may be less likely to develop certain cancers. But it's crucial to keep in mind that no single food can prevent cancer.

Furthermore, it doesn't seem that vitamin C supplementation alone can prevent cancer. In general, eating a diet rich in antioxidants and well-balanced is good for your general health.

To determine the impact of antioxidants like vitamin C on cancer, more research is required. Before beginning any supplements while receiving cancer treatment, consult your physician.

2-Can Reduce Your Risk of Chronic Disease:

Strong antioxidants like vitamin C may strengthen your body's defenses naturally.

Molecules called antioxidants strengthen the immune system. They accomplish this by shielding cells from dangerous substances known as free radicals.

Free radicals have been connected to numerous chronic illnesses by accumulating and promoting oxidative stress.

According to studies, increasing your vitamin C intake can raise your blood antioxidant levels by as much as 30%. This aids in the body's defensive mechanisms' battle against inflammation.

3-Reduces Fatigue and Tiredness:

It's normal to occasionally feel worn out and exhausted, especially if you lead a hectic lifestyle or engage in regular exercise.

On the other hand, constant fatigue is a clear indication that your body is having trouble using the energy you provide.

If you are giving your body the food and liquids it requires but you are still experiencing exhaustion, it may indicate that your body is deficient in certain micronutrients, such as vitamin C.

A vitamin C deficit can cause weakness and fatigue, so it's critical to ensure you're getting enough of it.

It has been demonstrated that consuming sufficient amounts of vitamin C leads to a decrease in tiredness and fatigue.

4-May Help in Controlling High Blood Pressure:

The world's biggest cause of death, heart disease, is made more likely by high blood pressure. 

According to studies, both with and without high blood pressure may benefit from vitamin C's ability to lower blood pressure.

According to an animal study, supplementing with vitamin C helped lower blood pressure by relaxing the blood capillaries that convey blood from the heart.

Although these findings are encouraging, it's unclear if there will be long-term impacts on blood pressure. Moreover, vitamin C shouldn't be the only medication used to treat high blood pressure.

5-Stress:

Many diseases linked to stress have vitamin C deficiencies. In smokers, alcoholics, and obese people, it is the first nutrient to be depleted. Maintaining vitamin C levels can also be a good indicator of general health, because vitamin C is one of the nutrients that is susceptible to stress.

Also Read: 18 Health Benefits of Kale, Nutrition and Side Effects

6-May Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease:

Globally, heart disease is the primary cause of death.

Heart disease is caused by many factors, such as low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, high triglyceride or LDL (bad) cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

By lowering these risk factors, vitamin C may help lower the chance of heart disease.

It's interesting to note that a different analysis of 15 trials indicated a lower risk of heart disease when vitamin C was obtained from food sources rather than supplements.

According to the investigation, taking a vitamin C supplement significantly reduced blood triglycerides by 20.1 mg/dL and LDL (bad) cholesterol by approximately 7.9 mg/dL.

In summary, research shows that consuming 500 mg or more of vitamin C per day may lower the risk of heart disease. However, supplements might not offer any additional heart health benefits if your diet is already high in vitamin C.

Supplemental vitamin C has been associated with a lower risk of heart disease. These supplements may reduce blood levels of triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol, two risk factors for heart disease.

Heart attacks and strokes are among the many cardiovascular problems that vitamin C can help prevent. It is also excellent for your circulatory system. 

7-May Lower Blood Uric Acid Levels and Aid in Gout Attack Prevention:

It involves inflammation of the joints, especially the big toes, and is excruciatingly painful. Gout patients have edema and abrupt, severe pain flare-ups.

When the blood contains too much uric acid, gout symptoms manifest. One waste product that the body produces is uric acid. It may crystallize and accumulate in the joints at high levels.

It's interesting to note that several studies have shown that vitamin C may help lower blood levels of uric acid and, consequently, guard against gout attacks.

Gout is a common kind of arthritis that primarily affects the big toes and is extremely painful. It is brought on by an excess of uric acid, a waste product, in the blood, which leads to the formation of crystals in the joints. After that, the crystals induce inflammation, which results in painful attacks.

Several studies have shown that vitamin C reduces blood uric acid levels, hence preventing gout. Its antioxidant activity might be the cause of this, at least partially. Significant oxidative stressors seem to have greater levels of uric acid in their bodies.

8-Fights the Common Cold:

The traditional thinking on using vitamin C to treat common colds may not be as wise as you may think. There is conflicting data about the use of vitamin C to treat or prevent these respiratory infections, according to research.

Several studies, such as a large systematic review of the evidence, suggest vitamin C supplements:

Don't take any action to shield most individuals from the common cold.

could lessen the duration or intensity of cold symptoms

may lessen the chance of colds in individuals who work in harsh situations (e.g., soldiers, endurance athletes)

9-Protects your Eyes:

Vitamin C is accurate: This antioxidant may help prevent cataracts, which are clouding of the lens of the eye, and reduce the advancement of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disorder that results in central vision loss.

Also Read: 16 Foods That Are Good for Your Eyes

10-Helps in Preventing Iron Deficiency:

Iron is an important nutrient that the body uses for many different purposes. The body must produce red blood cells and carry oxygen throughout.

Supplementing with vitamin C can enhance the body's ability to absorb iron from food. 

Those following a plant-based diet will find this especially helpful as meat is a significant source of iron.

  Just 100 mg of vitamin C can increase iron absorption by 67%.

Therefore, in individuals who are susceptible to iron shortage, vitamin C may help lower the incidence of anemia. Let's talk about vitamin C, which supports iron.

" Consuming foods high in vitamin C at the same meal as plant foods high in iron increases the iron's bioavailability, allowing you to absorb more of it."

Apart from its beneficial effects, vitamin C can also support the actions of other micronutrients!

Among the most vital nutrients for good health, vitamin C aids in the body's absorption of iron. Because haemoglobin, which is a protein present in red blood cells and transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, depends on iron for proper function.

Negative impacts on our health may result from inadequate iron intake or improper absorption in our bodies.

Making sure your iron is not wasted is crucial. Ensure that your body has enough vitamin C to function properly.

11-It is a Potent Antioxidant:

Antioxidants naturally occur in vitamin C. Antioxidants assist the body in defending its lipids, proteins, and DNA from oxidative damage brought on by free radicals, which are errant particles found in our bodies.

12-Helps in the Healing of Wounds:

Collagen formation is aided by vitamin C and is crucial to your body's healing process, "Collagen is a protein that keeps our skin looking young."

It's essential for wounds, including scrapes, cuts, and surgical incisions, to heal correctly. Furthermore, studies have shown that those who consume insufficient amounts of vitamin C heal more slowly than those who do.

13-Maintains Cartilage and Bones Healthy:

Vitamin C helps our bodies produce collagen, which is essential for maintaining healthy cartilage and bones. The most prevalent protein in our body, collagen serves as a framework to provide our bodies strength and structure.

Collagen makes up over 90% of the matrix proteins in our bones, therefore it makes logical that it is good for our cartilage and bones.

increased vitamin C intake has been linked in certain studies to both lower bone loss and increased bone mass density. Elevated levels of vitamin C have also been observed to protect fractures of the hip and other bones.

Try this recipe for calcium and vitamin C for a double dose of bone support. Calcium is another mineral required for strong and healthy bones.

14-Supports Teeth and Gum Health:

Research indicates that vitamin C helps maintain healthy gums even if it may not be the cause of gum disease. Patients with periodontitis, a prevalent form of gum disease, were found to have reduced blood levels of vitamin C in a 2003 study.

15-Boosts Immunity:

Since vitamin C functions in many aspects of the immune system, increasing immunity is one of the main reasons individuals take supplements of the vitamin.

First, vitamin C aids in the development of lymphocytes and phagocytes, two types of white blood cells that aid in the body's defense against infection.

Second, vitamin C shields these white blood cells from potentially dangerous substances like free radicals and enhances their ability to perform their intended functions.

Third, the skin's defensive mechanism depends heavily on vitamin C. It is actively delivered to the skin, where it can fortify the skin's defenses and function as an antioxidant.

Research has also indicated that vitamin C supplementation may accelerate the healing of wounds.

For instance, it has been demonstrated that taking vitamin C supplements can speed up recovery from pneumonia, as patients with the illness typically have reduced vitamin C levels.

Vitamin C's beneficial effects on the immune system may be its most well-known benefit. According to a study of research, vitamin C helps the immune system by preventing oxidative stress, assisting in the destruction of microorganisms, and lowering the risk of tissue damage. It has been shown that an insufficiency of this vitamin raises the risk of infections. Although taking a lot of vitamin C as soon as you start to sniffle is unlikely to prevent you from getting a cold, another review suggests that it can speed up your recovery.

16-Protects your Thinking and Memory as you Age:

The term "dementia" is used broadly to characterize thinking and memory problems.

Over 35 million people are impacted globally, and older persons are usually the ones who experience it.

Research indicates that inflammation and oxidative stress in the vicinity of the central nervous system—which includes the brain, spine, and nerves—may raise the risk of dementia.

One powerful antioxidant is vitamin C. Reduced cognition and memory have been associated with low levels of this vitamin.

Moreover, studies have demonstrated that consuming a high-quality diet or supplement containing vitamin C can protect memory and thinking abilities as you age.

If your diet is deficient in vitamin C, taking supplements may help prevent diseases like dementia. Nevertheless, further human research is required to fully comprehend how vitamin C supplements affect the health of the neurological system.

17-Makes Skin Appear Better:

If you believe that vitamin C might be beneficial to your skin, this could be it!

Have you ever wondered why, as we age, we develop those tiny lines and wrinkles? Our skin's suppleness and "plumpness" decrease with age, primarily because of a decrease in our natural collagen levels.

Due to its exceptional benefits for brightening bags under the eyes and diminishing the appearance of dark circles, vitamin C is also a common ingredient in many serums and eye creams.

Topical vitamin C is acidic, which helps to exfoliate dead skin cells and promote the growth of new ones. In essence, this procedure stimulates the skin's healing mechanism by increasing the production of collagen and elastin.

Additionally, it has a feature that prevents the synthesis of melanin in your skin, which is what causes skin discolorations like dark patches and hyperpigmentation.

 The body's cells both inside and outside are impacted by vitamin C, and its antioxidant properties may help prevent aging. In a study that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 4,025 women between the ages of 40 and 74 had their nutritional intakes and skin aging analyzed. It was discovered that greater vitamin C intakes were linked to a decreased risk of wrinkles, dry skin, and a more favorable appearance of skin aging. 

18-May Help in Reducing Allergy Symptoms:

Vitamin C may be able to lessen minor allergies caused by the environment or seasonal changes.

Vitamin C lowers your histamine production rather than inhibiting histamine receptors as antihistamine drugs do.

Histamine levels have been found in certain studies to drop by roughly 38% when 2000 mg of vitamin C is taken.

For mild allergy symptoms, intravenous vitamin C is regarded to be the most beneficial type.

It's worth a shot if you occasionally catch a cold in the summer, but vitamin C will never be able to treat more severe allergy symptoms.

Sign of Deficiency:

 If you eat a restricted diet that contains less than 10 milligrams of the vitamin every day for at least a month. The highest risk factors for deficiencies in industrialized nations are drug use, smoking, and prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke. Diets low in fruits and vegetables are also at risk. The most typical indicators of a deficit are as follows.

Scurvy, the classic illness of acute vitamin C insufficiency, manifests as connective tissue weakening symptoms due to collagen loss:

• Skin lesions brought on by bruising and bleeding from shattered blood vessels
• Gum enlargement or bleeding, followed by the final loss of teeth
• Hair thinning
• Delayed skin wound healing
• Fatigue, malaise
• Iron-deficiency anemia brought on by a reduction in non-heme iron absorption 

Dosage: 

0 to 6 months  40 mg

12 to 7 months  50 milligrams

 1-3 years  15 mg

 8 and 4 years   25 milligrams

 9–13 years     45 mg

14–18 years (female)   65 milligrams

14 to 18 (males)     75 milligrams

14–18 years   (when pregnant)  80 milligrams

 14 to 18 (breastfeeding)    115 milligrams

 19 years and over (females)   75 milligrams

Males aged 19 years and over   90 mg

19 years and over (when pregnant)   85 milligrams

19 years and over (breastfeeding)   120 milligrams

Side Effects of Vitamin C:

While vitamin C is generally thought to be safe, large dosages may have unfavorable effects. They could consist of:

• Heartburn
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Stomach pain
• Diarrhea
• Kidney stones

Side effects are more likely to occur at higher dosages. Over 2,000 milligrams taken daily may raise the risk of kidney stones and diarrhea. Taking more than 1,000 mg per day may raise your risk of kidney stones if you have a history of them.