Vitamin C and its health benefits

What is vitamin C?

Ascorbic acid, often known as vitamin C, is a water-soluble vitamin that may dissolve in water but is insoluble in fat. After ingestion, it distributes to bodily tissues. It is advised to regularly consume vitamin C-rich meals or vitamin C supplements since vitamin C doesn’t store in the body’s cells.

Benefits of Vitamin C are :

  • It keeps the cell active
  • It helps in repairing tissues
  • It forms the collagen
  • Vitamin C is responsible for the proper functioning of several enzymes
  • It helps in healing the wounds
  • It maintains the health of our skin and blood vessels
  • It shows the activity as an antioxidant

Sources of Vitamin C:

Citrus Fruits:
Citrus fruits such as orange and guava contain a good amount of vitamin C

Strawberries:
Strawberries not just taste good but also have many minerals and also contain a good amount of vitamin c
Peppers:
Peppers are a very good source of vitamin C. 100g of red chili pepper gives about 143.7mg of vitamin C

Broccoli:
Broccoli is loaded with loads of fibers and vitamin c. 100g of broccoli gives about 65mg of vitamin c

Brussels sprouts:
Brussel sprouts are one of the best sources of vitamin c. 100g of Brussels sprout gives about 85mg of vitamin c

Potatoes:
Potatoes not only contain starch, but it also contains a good amount of vitamin c. 100g of potato gives about 19.7mg of vitamin c

Red Cabbage:
Also called purple cabbage. Red cabbage is rich in vitamins and contains high fiber. It is also a very good source of vitamin c and gives very low calories

Daily Recommended value of vitamin c:

The RDA value of vitamin c for a healthy man is 80mg and for women, RDA is 65mg. For smokers, It is suggested to take additional 35mg (approx) of vitamin c as it has shown that smoking can deplete the level of vitamin c in the body.

What happens if there is a deficiency of vitamin C?

Scurvy:
Deficiency of vitamin c leads to scurvy, symptoms of which include swollen joints, loose teeth, and bleeding gums.

Dry Skin:
Due to deficiency of vitamin c, skin becomes rough, dry, and scaly

Dental problems:
Lack of vitamin c causes loosening of teeth because gums become swollen, purple, and spongy.

Tiredness:
Due to deficiency of vitamin c, feeling of tiredness, weakness, and irritability are experienced by the adults.

How can the deficiency of vitamin c be prevented?

  • By adding vitamin c rich fruits and vegetables to the diet
  • By taking supplements
  • By avoiding smoking

Effects of overconsumption of vitamin C:

Diarrhea:
Consuming more than 1,000 mg of vitamin c per day leads to diarrhea as all of these will not be absorbed by the body.

Kidney Stones:
As our body can’t store the excess vitamin c, hence overdose of vitamin c leads to the formation of kidney stones.

Menopause:
Studies show that in females, overconsumption of vitamin c after menopause causes an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Hemochromatosis:
It is an iron absorption disorder. During hemochromatosis, overconsumption of vitamin c leads to damage to tissue.

Conclusion:

Vitamin c is a water-soluble vitamin that is not stored by our body, hence it is required to take vitamin c rich food or supplements on regular basis. Vitamin c has many functions like repairment of tissues, healing of wounds, etc.