Importance of vitamin C

Importance of vitamin C

Introduction:

Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin that’s why carried thorough blood stream in the body. It is not stored in the body therefore the daily intake of vitamin C in recommended amount is necessary. Excess of it is excreted through urine. It is an important vitamin essential for the healthy life. Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid, L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate. It assists in the formation and maintenance of bones, skin and blood vessels. It is found in abundance in fruits especially citrus fruits and vegetables. It is an antioxidant and reduces the risks of cancers. In this article, the discussion will be about the importance of vitamin C, sources, RDA dosage and the issues related to it.

Sources of vitamin C:

Vitamin C is abundant in fresh fruits and vegetables especially those fruits having the sour taste e.g citrus fruits that include oranges, lemon, grape fruits, lime etc. According to a recent research, green chillies have been found to be enriched with high amounts of vitamin C. Red peppers can also provide most of the vitamin C. strawberries, tomatoes and potatoes also give its reasonable amounts. Green leafy vegetables are also a good source of it e.g spinach, kale etc. vitamin C is also present in milk in large amounts when it is not boiled but during pasteurization, it is destroyed due to the provision of heat.

Keep in view:

Vitamin C is lost when the fruits or vegetables are cooked in water as it is very sensitive to heat and is destroyed at high temperatures. So, to get ample amounts of vitamin C from food sources, you should prefer to use them in raw form.

RDA (recommended daily allowance) dosage of vitamin C:

The daily recommended dosage of vitamin C varies for different gender and conditions. You must consume according to the recommended dose chart of it. It includes:

• For adult males, the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C is 90 mg (milligrams) per day.
• For adult females, the RDA dosage of vitamin C is about 75 mg per day.
• During pregnancy, the RDA dosage to be consumed is about 85 mg per day.
• For lactating ladies, the RDA dosage of it is 120 mg per day.

Keep in view:

The most of people e.g smokers are at the higher risk of vitamin C loss as they are dealing with high oxidative stress that’s why they should consume the extra amount of vitamin C of about 35 mg other than the RDA dosage per day. It is because vitamin C is necessary for healthy mucosa and reducing the inflammation. The adult males and females can consume about 2000 mg of vitamin C at maximum.

Importance of vitamin C:

Vitamin C plays many important roles in the human body. Some of them are as follows:

• Vitamin C is an organic compound and produces many other compounds in the human body e.g collagen protein, L-carnitine and some other neurotransmitters. It also has its role in the metabolism of proteins. Collagen protein that is produced by the assistance of vitamin C is the most abundant protein in the human body and the component of the connective tissues.
• Vitamin C has also been found to play its role in the healing of wounds due to its property of collagen production. The people that have high levels of vitamin C, their wounds heal more quickly than others who don’t have.
• Vitamin C has also been found to kill the bacteria causing the tuberculosis. Vitamin C, due to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory nature has also been associated in treating and reducing the cancer risks.
• It also plays its role in the repairmen of the damages tissues due to the oxidative stress. Vitamin C also starts the production of other anti-oxidants in the body.
• Vitamin C also reduces the cholesterol levels in the blood.
• Vitamin C protects against the CVD’s, hypertension and blood pressure by widening the blood vessels.
• Vitamin C may also lower the chances of cataracts and macular degeneration thus protecting eye health.
• Vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron thus playing protective role against anemia.

Deficiency issue:

The deficiency of vitamin C can cause scurvy. It is a disease characterized by the following symptoms:

• swollen joints
• Bleeding gums
• Loose teeth
• Anemia
• Tiredness
• In this condition, the wounds usually take longer to heal.

Conclusion:

So, in a nutshell vitamin C is very important for healthy healing of wounds and iron absorption along with many other important functions. It can also be obtained through supplements but the healthy sources are food sources. Its deficiency can cause scurvy but the over-consumption usually give no harm.