- Vitamin C is an essential vitamin commonly found in various fruits and vegetables, as well as dietary supplements.
- Taking a dose of vitamin C every day can benefit your health in many ways.
- Among these include faster wound healing, boosted immunity, reduced signs of aging, and improved eye and heart health.
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an essential vitamin found in various foods.
Since Vitamin C is not synthesized by the body, it must be ingested. It is found in many fruits and vegetables including citrus fruits, peppers, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, cantaloupe, strawberries, and spinach. It is also sold as a dietary supplement.
While it’s commonly advised to get your vitamin C dosage from foods, many people still take a dietary supplement of vitamin C to meet their needs.
Read on and learn what a daily dose of vitamin C can do to your health.
1. Accelerates Wound Healing
“Vitamin C is an essential component of connective tissue and plays a role in wound healing,” says Emergency Medicine Physician Dr. Mareiniss, of Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.
2. Can Strengthen Your Natural Defenses
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can help protect cells from cell damage. It boosts the body’s natural defenses to fight inflammation, thus, preventing the risks of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, explains Dr. Mareiniss.
3. Can Amplify Collagen Production
Vitamin C “is required for the biosynthesis of collagen,” and is a key ingredient in many skincare products, says Dr. Mareiniss.
4. Can Help Protect Your Heart
Per the NIH, there is some evidence that vitamin C can help lower your risks for cardiovascular disease. One large study of 85,000 women reported reduced risks of coronary heart disease and stroke from vitamin C intake in both dietary and supplementary forms.
5. Can Promote Eye Health
Studies indicate that long-term consumption of vitamin C may reduce the risk of forming a cataract and vision loss from macular degeneration, per the NIH.
6. Can Help Treat Scurvy
Acute vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy. Initial symptoms which can appear within a month of deficiency include fatigue, malaise and gum inflammation. The condition can worsen and progress to depression, swollen bleeding gums, and the loosening and loss of teeth. And, it can be fatal if left untreated.
7. Can Help Shorten the Occurrence of a Cold
Although commonly regarded as an immune booster, Vitamin C does not effectively prevent a cold; rather, it can help shorten its duration, says Dr. Mareiniss. “Vitamin C supplements might shorten the duration of the common cold and ameliorate symptom severity in the general population” possibly due to the anti-histamine effect of high-dose vitamin C,” explains the NIH.
8. Helps Reduce Risk of Anemia
Vitamin C supplements can help the body improve its absorption of iron from the diet by converting iron that is poorly absorbed, such as plant-based sources of iron, into a form that is easily absorbed by the body. One study showed that 100mg of vitamin C can improve the absorption of the blood-building mineral by 67%.
Some considerations
Because vitamin C has low toxicity, it doesn’t cause adverse effects when taken in high amounts. But it does cause gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramps.
Via WELLNESS CLUES