Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has several important functions. Adults aged 19 to 64 need 40mg of vitamin C a day. Vitamin C cannot be stored in the body, so you need it in your diet every day.
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Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that supports normal growth and development and helps your body absorb iron. Because your body doesn’t produce or store vitamin C, it’s important to include vitamin C in your diet. For most people, an orange or a cup of strawberries, chopped red pepper, or broccoli provides enough vitamin C for the day.
Although too much dietary vitamin C is unlikely to be harmful, megadoses of vitamin C supplements might cause:
Diarrhea
Nausea
Vomiting
Heartburn
Abdominal cramps
Headache
Insomnia
Remember, for most people, a healthy diet provides an adequate amount of vitamin C.
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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 include: citrus fruit, such as oranges and orange juice
Peppers
Strawberries
Blackcurrants
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Potatoes
How Much Vitamin C Do I Need?
You should be able to get all the vitamin C you need from your daily diet.
What Happens If I Take Too Much Vitamin C?
Taking large amounts (more than 1,000mg per day) of vitamin C can cause: stomach pain
diarrhoea
flatulence These symptoms should disappear once you stop taking vitamin C supplements. If you take vitamin C supplements, do not take too much as this could be harmful. Taking less than 1,000mg of vitamin C supplements a day is unlikely to cause any har.
What’S The Recommended Intake?
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has developed a set of reference values for specific nutrient intake levels, including for vitamin C. One set of guidelines is known as the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and considers average daily nutrient intake from both foods and supplements. Here are the RDAs for vitamin C (11): Life stage RDA Kids (1–3 years) 15 mg Kids (4–8 years) 25 mg Adolescents (9–13 years) 45 mg Teens (14–18 years) 65–75 mg Adult women (aged 19 and older) 75 mg Adult men (aged 19 and older) 90 mg Pregnant women (aged 19 and older) 85 mg Breastfeeding women (aged 19 and older) 120 mg In addition to the RDA recommendations for vitamin C, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recommended Daily Value (DV). The DV was developed for food and supplement labels.
On food labels, this is displayed as %DV However, in January 2020, this will increase to 90 mg
1. May Reduce Your Risk Of Chronic Disease
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can strengthen your body’s natural defenses (2).
When free radicals accumulate, they can promote a state known as oxidative stress, which has been linked to many chronic diseases Studies show that consuming more vitamin C can increase your blood antioxidant levels by up to 30%. Summary Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that can boost your blood antioxidant levels.