Health Benefits Of Vitamin C
Benefits of vitamin C.
Vitamin C is the most important antioxidant in our body, which is used to ward off inflammation caused by oxidative damage and thus helps every single cell inside it to repair quickly.
If you continue, you'll learn about some health benefits that result from the inclusion of "C" in your diet. However, there is a myth that needs to be cleared before you can continue.
The cold and flu myth
This antioxidant gets most of its fanfare during the cold and flu season. The thought is that vitamin C helps fight off these infections. In fact, there is no scientific evidence to support this generally accepted notion.
To calm this myth down, the only reason why taking vitamin C is beneficial for cold and flu patients is if you are initially deficient. You can fight the symptoms of taking a supplement faster if you don't get enough of it with your normal diet, but you don't expect it to occur less often.
Recommended daily dose (mg)
0-1 year: 50
Age 1-3: 15
Age 4-8: 25
Age 8-18: 80
Male adults: 90-500
Female adults: 75-500
During pregnancy: 90-500
During breastfeeding: 120-1000
* Smokers should aim for at least 250 mg a day as increased inflammation due to this habit causes the body to use more vitamin C to maintain optimal health.
Top food sources for vitamin C.
Vitamin C is only found in vegetables and fruits. The lighter the color, the more "C" you generally get.
The list below shows the main food sources in ascending order.
Vegetables (mg):
½ cup of colored peppers: 101-144
½ cup of green peppers: 63
½ cup of chopped broccoli: 54
1 cup red cabbage: 54
4 Brussels sprouts: 50
½ cup kohlrabi: 47
½ cup of peas: 41
½ cup of cauliflower: 28
½ cup of kale: 28
½ cup of rapini: 24
1 medium-sized potato: 21
½ cup of Bok Choy: 23
1 medium-sized sweet potato: 22
6 asparagus spears: 22
½ cup beet tops (green): 21
½ cup of cabbage green: 18
1 medium tomato: 16
½ cup tomato sauce: 15
Fruit:
1 normal guava fruit: 206
1 large papaya: 188
1 grapefruit: 95
1 large kiwi: 84
1 medium orange: 75
10 lychees: 69
1 mango: 58
1 avocado: 52
½ cup of strawberries (not chopped): 52
½ cup of pineapple (chopped): 45
1 clementine: 36
½ cup of melon: 31
½ cup of fortified juices (apple, orange, grape, grapefruit, pineapple): 29-70
½ cup of Soursop: 25
1 medium tangerine: 22
½ cup persimmon: 17th
½ cup of berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries): 17
Benefits of vitamin C.
Diabetes:
People with diabetes don't produce as much insulin as non-diabetics. Insulin pushes vitamin C into our cells, where it does all its work. Low levels of circulating vitamin C combined with low insulin levels mean that diabetics are more susceptible to the effects of free radical damage. Vitamin C also reduces the glycosylated hemoglobin level (sugar that sticks to red blood cells), leading to slow wound healing, high blood pressure, neuropathy, and numerous other health problems.
Eye health:
As an antioxidant, vitamin C prevents cataracts caused by sunlight from clouding our eyes. A healthy human eye contains a lot of concentrated vitamin C; Poor absorption is one of the main causes of cataracts along with excessive sun exposure.
Asthma:
Asthma is a disease that results from excessive inflammation of the lungs and airways. Vitamin C controls inflammation and has been shown to be helpful in treating and preventing symptoms (see study). Asthmatics can benefit from doses of 1000-2000 mg daily.
Faster healing:
Since "C" reduces oxidative stress on the cells and reduces inflammation, an adequate level in the body also promotes faster healing than would be the case for people with poor vitamin intake.
Cardiovascular health:
Free radical damage in the walls of our arteries makes them susceptible to plaque, which is caused by the formation of circulating cholesterol and fatty acids (i.e. arteriosclerosis). Vitamin C is beneficial to prevent plaque build-up and also helps reduce it if plaque has already started.
Cancer prevention and treatment:
Cancer is caused by cumulative oxidative stress in the areas of the body affected by cancer of all types. Vitamin C is directly responsible for removing free radicals before they cause harm, and is therefore essential for the prevention and treatment of all types of cancer.
Obese people have less circulating vitamin C in their bodies. most likely due to poor nutrition. Increasing your vitamin C dose will significantly lower adiponectin, a fat suppressing hormone that dramatically reduces waist size and across all body mass index numbers. Learn more about vitamin C deficiency and its connection with obesity here.
Summary
Our body does not produce any vitamin C and is therefore at the top of the list of the 13 essential vitamins that we have to get from food to maintain optimal health. Everyone who has attended a history class in middle school knows scurvy and its effects on early seafarers, but many of the effects caused by deficiency today are silent killers that are slowly taking away our health and youthful exuberance.