Top 7 Fascinating Facts About Vitamin C for Your Body

Are you wondering about vitamin C? Over the years, many impressive claims have been made for this vitamin: some are backed by research studies.

Here’s what’s important about vitamin C (3):

• Vitamin C helps to protect every cell in your body from damage by free radicals;
• You get it from fruits and vegetables. You can also take vitamin C as a supplement;
• It may interact with medications if you’re taking vitamin C as a supplement, so do consult your medical professional as required.

Today, everyone’s busy. If you’re missing regular meals, or have a child who’s a picky eater, you may be worried that you and your family aren’t getting sufficient vitamin C from fresh food. 

However, with so many claims made for vitamin C supplements, how do you choose the best natural vitamin C supplement?

Organic vitamin C: how to choose the best natural vitamin C supplement

It’s recommended that you get your vitamin C from food sources. If you’re purchasing a supplement, check that it’s organic and natural. Organic vitamin C is derived from plants rather than synthetically created, and usually has a higher absorption rate when compared with synthetic vitamin C.

Let’s look at the top facts about vitamin C for your body.

1. You need vitamin C every day: your body can’t make it or store it

Vitamin C is an “essential” vitamin. This means that since your body can’t make it or store it, you need a supply of vitamin C every day. Not much is needed. (3) Small children need about 25 mg a day; adult males around 90 mg a day. If you’re pregnant, or are a smoker, you need more.

Fruits and vegetables contain vitamin C; however, it’s easily destroyed by heat, so aim to eat your vitamin C-rich foods raw. Try slicing fresh fruit over your morning cereal: a cup of strawberries (4) contains 95 mg of vitamin C. 

2. Vitamin C is an antioxidant: it fights free radicals to keep you healthy

Since vitamin C is an antioxidant, it may enhance your immune system to keep you healthy. Essentially, antioxidants benefit your immune system by fighting an oversupply of free radicals in your body. 

These free radicals form in your body every day as compounds: they’re unstable molecules and can damage your cells. Although your body needs free radicals, too many can cause harm—this is known as oxidative stress.

Your lifestyle can cause excessive free radicals to form, as can environmental factors and stress. For example, air pollution and cigarette smoke can cause oxidative stress. 

3. If you have high blood pressure, vitamin C may help

It’s long been known that high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is dangerous. (8) It can lead to heart disease and stroke. It has various causes, including stress and poor diet. Age is a factor too, as are illnesses.

Studies show that vitamin C can lower blood pressure. It acts as a diuretic, removing excess fluid from your body—it’s thought that fluid retention increases your blood pressure.

This effect of vitamin C on hypertension may assist your heart health.

4. Vitamin C helps to form vital collagen to maintain your body

Collagen is a protein. It’s in your skin, bones, muscles, and connective tissues such as your tendons. Look on it as the material which keeps your body together: some forms of collagen are stronger than steel. (9)

As we get older, our bodies form less collagen. We get wrinkles and sore joints. 

On the bright side, when you eat well, your body produces more collagen. It’s known that vitamin C assists in collagen production, so eat fresh veggies and fruit.

5. Oxygen and iron: vitamin C may prevent iron deficiency

Did you know that iron helps to build red blood cells and transport life-giving oxygen to every cell in your body? (7)

Studies show that vitamin C can increase your body’s uptake of iron from your diet, particularly from meat-free diets. Most people get iron from meat, so if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you need vitamin C so that plant-based iron is easier for your body to absorb. 

6. Vitamin C may boost your body’s immunity from illnesses

Your immune system exists right throughout your body, in your body’s organs, tissues and cells. 

Studies show that vitamin C supports your body’s immune system (10), protecting you from danger both internally (from things such as excessive free radicals) and externally, from pathogens. For example, vitamin C helps your skin to protect you from environmentally caused oxidative stress. 

Vitamin C appears to be beneficial to every cell in your body, so its importance to your immune system can’t be emphasized enough.

7. Your body and aging: vitamin C may help you to maintain health 

In your body’s fight against excessive free radicals, and oxidative stress, vitamin C is essential as you get older. 

Of course, collagen production lessens with age, especially in women after menopause; this makes vitamin C’s usefulness in enhancing collagen production vital.

Also, Check – Are Skin Gummies Effective and Safe to Use?

Unconfirmed claims about vitamin C: it isn’t a magical cure

Studies into vitamin C continue (7), confirming its powerful effects on your body. However, many claims—such as vitamin C reducing the risk of cancer and preventing colds—are still unconfirmed. 

Powerful as vitamin C may be, it’s not a magical cure. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables daily, and if you fear you’re not getting sufficient, look for a good supplement. If you struggle with tablets, vitamin C is available as vitamin C capsules. 

Reference: sources

(1) Vitamin C: Why is it important?

(2) 7 Impressive Ways Vitamin C Benefits Your Body

(3) Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Consumers

(4) What you need to know about vitamin C

(5) 20 Foods That Are High in Vitamin C

(6) Vitamin C

(7) Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals

(8) How to Reduce Your High Blood Pressure and Take Down Hypertension

(9) What is collagen, and why do people use it?

(10) Vitamin C and Immune Function

Author Bio

Green Nutritionals is a renowned supplier of the World’s Best Superfoods. All Green Nutritionals’ products are ethically and sustainably sourced from the world’s purest sources, providing outstanding nutrient quality and potency, and sustainably packaged with 100% recyclable glass and metal packaging. The original quality and potency of the nutrients are protected and preserved by LOCTEC^TM oxygenless technology.