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Vitamin C

What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin needed for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of the body. It is necessary to form collagen, an important protein used to make skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is essential for the healing of wounds, and for the repair and maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.

What foods provide Vitamin C?

The best sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables. Excellent sources of vitamin C include:

parsley
broccoli
bell pepper
strawberries
oranges
lemon juice
papaya
cauliflower
kale
mustard greens
Brussels sprouts
kiwi
spinach
cabbage
raspberries

Recommended intake of Vitamin C

Infants and Children

0 - 6 months: 40 milligrams/day (mg/day)
7 - 12 months: 50 mg/day
1 - 3 years: 15 mg/day
4 - 8 years: 25 mg/day
9 - 13 years: 45 mg/day

Adolescents

Girls 14 - 18 years: 65 mg/day
Boys 14 - 18 years: 75 mg/day

Adults

Men age 19 and older: 90 mg/day
Women age 19 year and older: 75 mg/day

Vitamin C deficiency

Too little vitamin C can lead to:

Dry and splitting hair
Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums)
Bleeding gums
Rough, dry, scaly skin
Decreased wound-healing rate
Easy bruising
Nosebleeds
Weakened tooth enamel
Swollen and painful joints
Anemia
Decreased ability to fight infection
Possible weight gain because of slowed metabolism

Severe Vitamin C deficiency can lead to a fatal disease, scurvy. Symptoms of scurvy include bleeding and bruising easily, hair and tooth loss, joint pain and swelling. Scurvy is rare in developed countries because it can be prevented by as little as 10 mg of vitamin C daily

Issues & Controversies

At high supplemental doses involving 5 or more grams of vitamin C, diarrhea can result from the fluid in the intestine becoming too concentrated

Large supplemental doses of vitamin C can also increase levels of uric acid in the urine, because vitamin C can be broken down into uric acid. However, it is not clear that increased uric acid in the urine can increase a person's risk of forming kidney stones.

Vitamin C can increase a person's absorption of iron from plant foods therefore a person who has health problems related to excess free iron in their cells may want to consider avoiding high supplemental doses of vitamin C.

It is important to remember that all of the above toxicity-related issues involve vitamin C in supplemental form, not as it naturally occurs in food.

Vitamin C is believed to:

Prevent wrinkles
Protect your heart
Keep cancer at bay
Boost brain power
Save your eye sight
Help you live longer

Health Risks

Excess vitamin C leaves the body in urine, but continuous excessive doses can lead to kidney and bladder stones. An overdoes of vitamin C can destroy B12, reduce the effectiveness of blood-thinners, lead to the loss of calcium, and cause diarrhea and nosebleeds.

References