Hopefully by the end of this article you’ll have no doubts about this subject.
Contents
C, also known as ascorbic acid, has several important functions. These include: helping to protect cells and keeping them healthy
maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage
helping with wound healing Lack of vitamin C can lead to scurvy. Good sources of vitamin C Vitamin C is found in a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.
You should be able to get all the vitamin C you need from your daily diet.
What Does The Department Of Health And Social Care Advise?
You should be able to get all the vitamin C you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.
Function
Dations for vitamin C, as well as other nutrients, are provided in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) developed by the Food and Nutrition Board at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Dri is a term for a set of reference intakes that are used to plan and assess the nutrient intakes of healthy people.
Dietary reference intakes for vitamin C:
Infants (AI)
0 to 6 months: 40* milligrams/day (mg/day)
7 to 12 months: 50* mg/day
Children (RDA)
1 to 3 years: 15 mg/day
4 to 8 years: 25 mg/day
9 to 13 years: 45 mg/day
Adolescents
Girls 14 to 18 years: 65 mg/day
Pregnant teens: 80 mg/day
Breastfeeding teens: 115 mg/day
Boys 14 to 18 years: 75 mg/day
Adults
Men age 19 and older: 90 mg/day
Women age 19 year and older: 75 mg/day
Pregnant women: 85 mg/day
Breastfeeding women: 120 mg/day
The best way to get the daily requirement of essential vitamins, including vitamin C, is to eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods. Smokers or those who are around secondhand smoke at any age should increase their daily amount of vitamin C an additional 35 mg per day.
How Much Vitamin C Is Enough?
A deficiency in vitamin C is associated with many stress related disease.
It is the first nutrient to be depleted in alcoholics, smokers, and obese individuals. And because vitamin C is one of the nutrients sensitive to stress, Moyad says naintaining levels of vitamin C can be an ideal marker for overall health. “There is good evidence taking vitamin C for colds and flu can reduce the risk of developing further complications, such as pneumonia and lung infections,” says Moyad.
Although research has been conflicting, one study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that those with the highest concentrations of vitamin C in their blood were associated with 42% lower stroke risk than those with the lowest concentrations. But what is clear is that people who eat plenty of fruits and vegetables have higher blood levels of vitamin C.
“People who consume more fruit and vegetables will not only have higher [blood] levels of vitamin C, but higher intake of other nutrients potentially beneficial to health, such as fiber and other vitamins and minerals,” study researcher Phyo K. Myint said in an email interview. Vitamin C affects cells on the inside and outside of the body and it’s antioxidant properties can be beneficial when it comes to aging.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined links between nutrient intakes and skin aging in 4,025 women aged 40-74. It found that higher vitamin C intakes were associated with a lower likelihood of a wrinkled appearance, dryness of the skin, and a better skin-aging appearance. In addition, topical treatments with Vitamin C have been shown in some studies to reduce wrinkles
Other studies have suggested that vitamin C may als.