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Vitamin C

What is vitamin C?

  • Vitamin C is also known as L-ascorbic acid.

  • Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin.

  • Vitamin C is a weak organic acid.

  • Vitamin C is an essential nutrient in our diet as our bodies can not make vitamin C.

  • Vitamin C is found in foods such as citrus and other fruits and vegetables.

What does vitamin C do in our bodies?

 

  • Vitamin C is an essential nutrient involved in tissue repair, collagen formation, and helping produce certain neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine.

 

  • Vitamin C also works as an antioxidant to protect body cells from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. Vitamin C quenches and neutralizes free radicals and inhibits body cell damage caused by free radical attacks.

 

  • Vitamin C has been shown to regenerate other antioxidants within the body, such as vitamin E, which has been known as an essential physiological antioxidant.

 

  • Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from plant sources of food. An adequate daily supply of vitamin C can increase the absorption of non-heme iron in plant-source foods by as much as two to four folds. Therefore, vitamin C is critical for those who get most of their iron from plant food sources, including vegetarians.

 

  • Vitamin C helps keep capillary walls and blood vessels firm and protects us from bruising. Vitamin C helps human gums to remain healthy and prevents bleeding. In addition, vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds.

 

  • Vitamin C is required for carnitine biosynthesis in our bodies; carnitine is critical in energy production.

 

  • Vitamin C plays a vital role in immune function.

Oranges

Vitamin C's antioxidative function and its role in immune function

  • Vitamin C is an important physiological antioxidant and plays a role in boosting immune function. Vitamin C is not only working as an antioxidant itself; it also helps to regenerate other antioxidants in our bodies, such as vitamin E.

  • By acting as an antioxidant, vitamin C helps to protect body cells from damage caused by free radicals.

  • Free radicals are compounds formed when our bodies convert food into energy. People are also exposed to free radicals in the environment from air pollution, ultraviolet light from the sun, and cigarette smoke.

  • Ongoing research examines vitamin C's role in preventing and delaying the development of certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other diseases. Oxidative stress plays a role in triggering and development of these diseases. It has been studied that vitamin C may limit the damaging effects of free radicals through vitamin C's antioxidant activity and then prevent and alleviate the diseases caused by oxidative damage to cells and tissues.

 

  • In addition, it was reported by studies that vitamin C can limit the formation of carcinogens, such as nitrosamines, by vitamin C's antioxidative property.

Vitamin C Foods:

Human bodies can not make vitamin C endogenously, and vitamin C must come from our diet.

Citrus fruits, such as oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits, are excellent sources of vitamin C.

Other fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, bell peppers, papayas, strawberries, broccoli, cantaloupe, and mangoes are all good sources of vitamin C.

Microwave cooking can retain more vitamin C in foods. Vitamin C is chemically ascorbic acid, which is a water-soluble weak organic acid and can be destroyed by heat. Microwave cooking has the advantage of shorter cooking time. This shortened cooking time may lessen cooking loss of vitamin C.

 

Top Vitamin C foods:

  • Orange and orange juice

  • Grapefruit and grapefruit juice

  • Kiwifruit

  • Green and red peppers

  • Strawberries

  • Brussels sprouts

  • Broccoli

  • Tomato and tomato juice

  • Cantaloupe

  • Cabbage

  • Cauliflower

  • Spinach

  • green peas

Citrus Fruits

Recommended Amounts:

  • For adults nineteen and older, the recommended amount of vitamin C is 90 milligrams daily for men and 75 milligrams daily for women. The RDA for teens 14 and 18 years old is 75 milligrams daily and 65 milligrams daily for males and females, respectively.

  • The RDA of vitamin C for pregnant teens aged 14 to 18 years old is 80 milligrams daily, and for pregnant women from 19 to 50 years old, the RDA of vitamin C is 85 milligrams daily. The RDA of vitamin C for females in lactation is 115 milligrams daily for teen girls aged 14 to 18 in lactation, and 120 milligrams daily for women of from19 years old to 50 years old in lactation.

  • RDA is the recommended dietary allowance, the daily nutritional sufficient nutrient level.

  • For people who smoke, the RDA for vitamin C is increased by 35 milligrams daily to help counteract the oxidative damage from nicotine.

  • The daily upper limits for vitamin C have been established, including intakes from all sources: food, beverages, and supplements. UL has been established for vitamin C. Long-term intakes of vitamin C above the UL may increase the risk of adverse health effects. ULs do not apply to individuals receiving vitamin C for medical treatment, but such individuals should be under the care of a physician.

  • The UL for people 14 to 18 years old is 1800 milligrams daily, and the UL for people 19 years old and older is 2000 milligrams daily.

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Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA):

What is RDA? RDA means Recommended Dietary Allowances; RDA is the daily nutritional sufficient nutrient level. RDA is the dietary intake value that represents what you need to take on a daily basis. RDA is the average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%-98%) healthy individuals.

Tolerable Upper Intake Leve (UL):

What is UL? UL means the tolerable upper intake level. This means the highest average daily nutrient intake level likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in a given life stage and gender group.

Summer Salad
Recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for vitamin D
Recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for vitamin D
vegetable

Vitamin C for your beauty and strength

Our bodies need vitamin C to make collagen. Collagen is the main structural protein in various connective tissues such as cartilage, bones, tendons, ligaments, and skin. Collagen is also a constituent of muscle tissues. Therefore, collagen is essential for maintaining muscle mass and increasing muscle strength.

Vitamin C helps produce collagen. Collagen is an essential component of connective tissue and is vital in wound healing. Collagen is also abundant in corneas, blood vessels, the gut, intervertebral discs, and dentin in teeth. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies. Collagen makes up 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content.

Collagen helps with smooth skin appearance and reduces wrinkles and fine lines. Collagen also supports skin elasticity and increases skin moisture.

Therefore, vitamin C is essential for your beauty and strength by promoting collagen synthesis.

Apricots

Vitamin C & diseases caused by oxidative stress of free radicals


Vitamin C is an important antioxidant and plays a role in boosting immune function. By acting as an antioxidant, vitamin C helps to protect body cells from damage caused by free radicals.

 

The oxidation stress caused by free radicals may trigger the development of certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other diseases. Oxidative stress plays a role in initiating and developing these diseases.

 

Free radicals are fast-moving substances with an unpaired electron in each free radical molecule. Free radicals are active species attacking cells and tissues. The attack results in one electron from the healthy tissue or cell being withdrawn by free radicals and leaving the tissue or cell damaged.

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Free radicals are produced when cells use and convert foods we eat to energy; this process is also called oxidation. One type of by-product of our bodies' oxidation is free radicals. In addition, people are also exposed to free radicals in the environment from air pollution, ultraviolet light from the sun, and cigarette smoke.

 

By acting as an antioxidant, vitamin C helps to protect body cells from damage caused by free radicals. Vitamin C quenches and neutralizes free radicals and inhibits body cell damage caused by free radical attacks. Ongoing research examines vitamin C's role in preventing and delaying the development of certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and other diseases. In addition, it is reported by studies show that vitamin C can limit the formation of carcinogens, such as nitrosamines, by vitamin C's antioxidative properties.

Tropical fruit

Vitamin C & Carnitine

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Vitamin C helps the body make carnitine.

Carnitine is a simple ammonium salt. Our bodies can make carnitine by ourselves. Carnitine plays a critical role in energy production. Carnitine is an essential co-factor that helps transport long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria in cells to oxidize them to produce energy in the form of ATP (ATP is the major source of energy for cellular reactions). Carnitine also helps transport some toxic compounds out of the mitochondria.

 

By promoting the production of carnitine naturally, vitamin C indirectly helps our bodies use fat to produce energy and consequently allows the body fat percentage to stay within an ideal range.

 

In addition, vitamin C helps our bodies eliminate toxic substances from body cells and keep us healthy.

Tropical fruit

Vitamin C and Healthful Diets

Our nutritional needs should be met primarily through foods because foods provide various nutrients and other healthy components. Foods contain vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and other nutrients that are beneficial for our health. In some situations and cases, fortified foods and dietary supplements are helpful when it is impossible to meet the needs for one or more nutrients.

 

A healthy dietary pattern was described by “The Dietary Guidelines for Americans” as one that:

 

  • Includes a variety of vegetables; fruits; grains, and whole grains; milk, yogurt, cheese; and oils. Citrus fruits are excellent sources of vitamin C. Many fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, are all good sources of vitamin C. Some ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamin C.

  • Includes a variety of protein foods, for example, lean meats; poultry; eggs; seafood; beans, peas, lentils; nuts and seeds; and soy products.

  • Limits foods and beverages higher in sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat.

  • Limits alcoholic beverages.

  • Stays within your daily calorie needs.

References:

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