Interesting Facts About Vitamin C

About Vitamin C

Vitamin C – more formally known as ascorbic acid – was first isolated by Hungarian biochemist Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgi in 1928. It is an essential nutrient for the formation and maintenance of collagen in the body, which is necessary for the growth, health, and repair of bones, tendons, and cartilage. Vitamin C is also critical for the formation of eight distinct enzymes that help regulate a variety of chemical body processes, and it is a powerful antioxidant that protects that health and integrity of cells.

Most animals can manufacture their own Vitamin C through a four-step enzymatic glucose conversion process. However, human beings and other primates have lost that ability and must absorb the nutrient from dietary sources. Guinea pigs and most bats must also obtain Vitamin C from their diets.

Sources

Vitamin C has many sources.

Fortunately, Vitamin C is relatively abundant and can be found in most fruits and vegetables. Foods high in Vitamin C include citrus fruits (oranges, limes, lemons, grapefruits, etc.) as well as red peppers, parsley, broccoli, potatoes, bananas, and carrots. Several types of meat also contain small amounts of Vitamin C, most notably liver and oysters, and it can be found in different types of milk, including human breast milk.

Despite its natural abundance, Vitamin C is a relatively delicate nutrient. It decomposes at 190 degrees Celsius and can be destroyed through broiling, grilling, or frying. Boiling fruits and vegetables that contain Vitamin C will not destroy the nutrient, but it does leech easily into the water. If that water is discarded, the nutritional benefits are lost.

Once absorbed, Vitamin C has an astonishingly short 30 minute biological half life in the bloodstream. This means that the nutrient decays in just 30 minutes, and ongoing supplements of Vitamin C are necessary for optimum absorption. Nearly 90 percent of the nutrient is absorbed in the small intestines, and of that, 75 percent will be excreted within 24 hours because it cannot be effectively stored by the body.

Recommended Dosage

Different health advisory boards disagree on the optimum daily dosage of Vitamin C for healthy adults. Recommended guidelines vary from 40 milligrams to 1,000 milligrams, though larger doses should be broken up throughout the day to ease absorption. For individuals who do not get enough Vitamin C through their regular diets the nutrient is available in a wide range of supplemental forms, including capsules, tablets, drink powders, and lozenges, along with wide spectrum multivitamins. In fact, Vitamin C is the most widely taken supplement in the world, and it is often added to fortified cereals, drinks, and breads as well.

At the same time, overdosing on Vitamin C can produce unhealthy side effects such as diarrhea, nausea, insomnia, and headaches. Different individuals may develop these symptoms at different dosage levels based on the rate of absorption of the nutrient.

Vitamin C Health Benefits

Some of the most interesting facts about Vitamin C relate to its nearly universal benefits for overall good health. In addition to its body maintenance properties, Vitamin C has a wide range of additional health benefits, including:

• Lowering risks for certain cancers
• Improving cholesterol
• Increasing white blood cell counts and autoimmune responses
• Improving regulation of blood glucose levels
• Boosting mental reasoning abilities
• Reducing the occurrence of asthma
• Lessening the severity of hay fever
• Lowering the risk of developing cataracts
• Serving as a gentle, natural laxative

With such a wide range of health benefits, large doses of Vitamin C have been used as part of experimental treatments for different terminal cancers, AIDS, and other diseases. Many individuals regularly increase their Vitamin C intake to combat the common cold, and Vitamin C is often part of different homeopathic treatments.

More Interesting Facts About Vitamin C

Other interesting Vitamin C facts include:

• It is water soluble, whereas many vitamins and minerals are not.
• It can be used as a mild food preservative.
• Animals that produce Vitamin C may produce several hundred times the recommended dosage with no ill effects.
• It is the most widely researched nutrient on the Internet.

Now that you know these interesting facts about Vitamin C, be sure to see a pharmacist or doctor about choosing the dosage, sources, and treatment use that is right for your best health.