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How Does Vitamin C Help

Look At The Overall Formulation Of Your Product

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There are different types of vitamin C that you might see pop up in different types of products. Some of these are more stable than others, meaning they wont oxidize as quickly, and some of them have different properties that can make them more suited to certain skin types.

For example, L-ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbyl phosphate are water-soluble, meaning theyre more likely to show up in products that are lighter and better suited to oilier skin. Check out BeautyBio the Daily Vitamin C Day Serum With Antioxidant Complex , Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum , or SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF .

If you have dry, mature skin, Dr. Hogan recommends looking for more moisturizing products containing lipid-soluble forms of vitamin C, like ascorbyl palmitate and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. For something containing these ingredients, look into Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil , the Ordinary Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F , or Obagi Clinical Vitamin C Eye Brightener .

Lowered Risk Of Stroke And Diabetes

Beyond lowering your risk for sickness, heart failure, cardiovascular disease, and heart muscle cell damage, vitamin C can also reduce the chances of stroke and diabetes. In a Japanese study following 880 healthy individuals over 20 years, higher levels of plasma vitamin C were strongly associated with a lower risk of all types of stroke.

A similar study involved over 20,000 participants who were healthy at baseline and were followed for 10 years. In those whose vitamin C levels were in the top 25%, the incidence of stroke was 42% lower compared to those in the lowest 25% of vitamin C consumption.

A strong inverse correlation between vitamin C plasma levels and the risk of developing diabetes was discovered in a prospective study of over 20,000 participants followed over 10 years. Those with the highest levels of vitamin C had the lowest risk of developing diabetes.

What Do The Advocates Say*

Vitamin C is important for connective tissue repair. Although beneficial to athletes participating in a variety of sports, vitamin C is especially important to body builders whose training causes the most connective tissue damage.

Vitamin C is also important to athletes because, as an antioxidant, it may help to reverse some of the oxidative damage that may occur from exercise. This oxidative damage, caused by free radicals, may interfere with the cells’ ability to function normally and is believed to play a role in many different health conditions, including the aging process, cancer, and heart disease.

Vitamin C promotes a healthy immune system and may help to prevent the dip in immune function that may occur right after exercise.

*Athletes and fitness advocates may claim benefits for this supplement based on their personal or professional experience. These are individual opinions and testimonials that may or may not be supported by controlled clinical studies or published scientific articles.

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Whats The Best Kind Of Vitamin C To Take

You may read this and think thats a LOT of vitamin C horse pills to swallow. I know how unpleasant that is. And did you know that the form of vitamin C in most grocery store supplements simply isnt going to work in your body like you want?

Studies continually show that discount and even some well-recognized brands are not as potent, and some dont even contain the levels of vitamin C they advertise.

Now thats downright wrong, and nothing frustrates me more! This is one of the big reasons I created the Essentially Whole® supplement line.

I was fed up with low-quality supplements and bending over backward to try to find a reputable sourceso Ive made it easy for you! All of my products are quality tested and guaranteed to be effective for your needs.

Helps Maintain Bones And Cartilage

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Vitamin C plays a big part in keeping our cartilage and bones strong by helping our bodies to make collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies and acts as a scaffold to provide structure and strength.

About 90% of the matrix proteins in our bones are collagen, so it makes sense that it is good for our bones and cartilage.

Some research suggests that higher vitamin C intake appears to be associated with higher bone mass density and lower bone loss. Very high vitamin C levels have also been seen to help protect against hip and other bone fractures.6

Another micronutrient needed for strong and healthy bones is calcium, so try this calcium and vitamin C recipe for a double whammy of bone support.

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Vitamin C For Heavy Periods

Vitamin C supports the integrity of blood vessels. Fragile capillaries are believed to be involved in some cases of heavy periods or menorrhagia. Capillaries are small blood vessels found throughout the body.

Vitamin C and bioflavonoids also have an anti-inflammatory effect, which may also reduce heavy bleeding.

In one small study, 89% of women experienced a reduction in heavy flow after supplementing with vitamin C and bioflavonoids. The hypothesis is that its anti-inflammatory effect, plus its ability to strengthen capillary walls reduces the menstrual bleeding. Since it also helps with the absorption of iron, vitamin C also assists women who have struggled with iron deficiency due to the blood loss.

The doses that have been used in studies are actually quite low when it comes to heavy bleeding. It appears around 600 mg daily is the lowest dose to show benefits.

Vitamin C Assists With Weight Loss

Everyone either wants to lose weight, build muscle or maintain where they are right now, and sometimes its really difficult and you need that little bit extra to assist you. Well, alongside your balanced diet and workout regime you should aim to increase your intake of sweet potatoes and citrus fruits.

Studies have shown that vitamin C status is inversely related to body mass. Individuals with adequate vitamin C status oxidize 30% more fat during a moderate exercise bout than individuals with low vitamin C status thus, vitamin C depleted individuals may be more resistant to fat mass loss. In short, youll get the most out of your fat burning workout if your vitamin C levels are high.

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Does Vitamin C Interact With Other Nutrients

Vitamin C can help our bodies absorb more iron from plant-based foods which is significantly less absorbed than iron from animal sources . This effect is also dependent on other factors like the iron levels in our bodies or the make-up of the meal . Nevertheless, get the best of this combination by matching iron-rich foods with sources of vitamin C. For example, add raw peppers to your lentil salad or have a glass of orange juice with your fortified breakfast cereals!

Vitamin C and vitamin E often join forces in their antioxidant roles. When vitamin E neutralises a free radical, it loses its antioxidant properties, which can be regenerated with the help of vitamin C. Good levels of both these vitamins are particularly important for those who smoke, as they are more prone to form higher amounts of free radicals in the body.

Vitamin C For Stress And Anxiety

Does Vitamin C Help Adrenal Fatigue?

Vitamin C is required for making catecholamines, otherwise known as stress hormones. In fact, your adrenal glands are one of the organs with the highest concentrations of vitamin C and leverage this vitamin to do their job. This is why we include vitamin C in our Adrenal Support formulation.

In times of stress, your adrenal glands increase production of catecholamines. Because of this, they are using more vitamin C, which is why some people benefit from increased intake during times of chronic stress.

When it comes to anxiety, there have been small studies pointing to the benefits of vitamin C. In a small double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial studying the effects of 500 mg daily vitamin C supplementation on anxiety in students it was found that the students supplementing with vitamin C had lower levels of anxiety compared to students in the placebo group.

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Dont Limit Yourself To Serums

The most common way to get vitamin C in a skin-care routine is in a serum. But you dont have to limit yourself! If youd rather not add an extra step to your regimen, know that you can also get vitamin C in cleansers, moisturizers, exfoliants, and even sunscreens, Dr. Hogan says.

Some of her favorite non-serum ways to get vitamin C include Ole Henriksen the Clean Truth Foaming Cleanser , Clinique Fresh Pressed Pure Vitamin C Powder , and Revision Vitamin C Lotion 30% .

All products featured on SELF are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Is It Ok To Take Vitamin C Every Day

Not only is it ok, but its also ideal!

Daily vitamin C is critical for not only immune health but also maintaining the daily health of so many of your bodys systems. Vitamin C acts as a daily cleaner to make sure your cells keep working as they should, unencumbered by the junk that builds up due to inflammation, toxins, and daily stress.

Since your body doesnt store vitamin C, taking it daily through supplements is the easiest and best way to get what your body needs!

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Skin Health: Collagen And Vitamin C

Vitamin C is commonly known to be sourced from eating fruit and vegetables such as guavas, oranges, kale, peas, mangoes, kiwis, strawberries, yellow bell peppers, and pineapple. Now that you know how to get more vitamin C in your diet, you should know that adding more vitamin C-rich products into your daily skincare routine can prove to have massive benefits for your skin health.

Collagen works with elastin to keep the skin firm and flexible. Collagen is the main connective tissue that holds all the bones and muscles together.

Collagen is made up of three amino acids: glycine, hydroxyproline, and proline.

  • Glycine: the smallest amino acid in your system has the simplest structure but is the farthest spread amino acid found in enzymes and proteins. It is present in the skin, connective tissues, and muscles.
  • Hydroxyproline: non-essential amino acid found in collagen and elastin, produced from another amino acid: proline.
  • Proline: helps to break down proteins in the body to use in healthy cells.

Hydroxylysine also found in collagen is modified from lysine. If your body is deficient in vitamin C, it’s unable to produce hydroxylysine as it needs vitamin C as its cofactor for making collagen.

Levels of vitamin C decrease with age, adding vitamin C to your daily routine will help to replenish the lost vitamin C, thus replenishing new skin cells, evening out skin tone, and promoting healthy collagen production.

Can Taking Vitamin C Prevent A Cold

How Does Vitamin C Help Me?  Health Advisor

Theres been a lot of debate about if vitamin C helps prevent the common cold. Its a topic that has been extensively researched, and theres some evidence that vitamin C may reduce how long your cold may last, says Dr. Radhakrishnan. But he says taking vitamin C on a regular basis doesnt reduce how often youll get a cold or how severe it will be.

Although the medical evidence is not overwhelming, this vitamin may help reduce the duration of common cold, Dr. Radhakrishnan concludes. This is why some healthcare professionals recommend vitamin C for the common cold.

Given how safe and relatively inexpensive vitamin C is, it may be alright to give your child a short course of vitamin C during a cold but this should be discussed with your childs physician, he says.

Like your mom always said, an apple a day keeps the doctor away!

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Is Vitamin C Good For Acne

So, does Vitamin C help acne? Although Vitamin C hasnt been proven to help acne, it still has great anti-inflammatory properties that can help with the inflammation processes associated with acne. When treating acne, you really need to target all three major causes of acne, and by using a vitamin c serum, you will be targeting the inflammation cause of acne.

Since vitamin c has been shown to reduce acne in certain studies, it is very promising and has great skin benefits. Vitamin C is really a do-it-all ingredient and should be in everyones skincare routine. Vitamin c is great for acne scars, anti-aging, collagen production and so much more.

How Much Vitamin C Do I Need

Now weve covered the function of vitamin c in our bodies and all its wonderful benefit health, lets find out how much you need to stay healthy.

If you consume a healthy balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg, you will probably be getting enough vitamin C.

However, our bodies cannot make or store vitamin C. Of you dont hit your 5-a-day target as much as youd like, you may need to reconsider your diet or start taking a supplement.

Try tracking your food for a few days to see if youre hitting the recommended vitamin C targets below:

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First Off What Is Vitamin C

As far as your skin is concerned, vitamin C is “a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals,” explains board-certified dermatologist Patricia Wexler. “Because of its antioxidant properties, vitamin C aids in your skin’s natural regeneration process, which helps your body repair damaged skin cells.”

So, in the same way that consuming antioxidant-rich foods aids your body in fighting off free radicals, topical antioxidants do the same for your skin by helping to offset daily aggressors like UV damage and exposure to air pollution. Quick refresher course on antioxidants: They prevent or reduce damage to our cells by neutralizing the production of highly reactive molecules called free radicals. In other words, antioxidants help keep our body and our skin cells healthy.

This free-radical-fighting power isn’t just important for helping to keep signs of premature aging at bay. In neutralizing these free radicals, vitamin C may also help protect skin from precancerous changes caused by UV exposure, Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, previously told Allure.

Vitamin C Lowers Your Blood Pressure

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As vitamin C is water soluble, it also acts as a diuretic causing the kidneys to remove more sodium and water from the body, which helps to relax the blood vessel walls, thereby lowering blood pressure.

Lower blood pressure also means that you have less chance of having a stroke and increased cardiovascular health, which is so important today as many people suffer from cardiovascular disease.

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What Does Vitamin C Do To Cancer

So what does vitamin C do for cancer? When different types of cancer cells are exposed to macro molar vitamin C levels, they are placed under stress and begin to die. Three-dimensional models of prostate, breast, ovarian and other types of cancer cells in vitro show that the higher the dose of vitamin C they are exposed to, the more their growth is inhibited and the tumor mass shrinks.

Vitamin C in these macro molar concentrations has a direct cytotoxic effect on tumor cells. This high dose induces high levels of hydrogen peroxide in the extracellular space but not in whole blood.

For example, in a study using cancer cell cultures exposed to high macro molar concentrations of vitamin C , the authors noted that both extracellular and intracellular H2O2 increased dramatically.

This is not limited to cells in a laboratory. When rats were given the equivalent doses of IV vitamin C in humans, their levels of hydrogen peroxide did indeed spike, but only between cells or in the so called extracellular space.

In addition to generating hydrogen peroxide in the extracellular space, the vitamin C content administered through IV also induced the production of vitamin C radical Asc . This is a pro-oxidant free radical that forms when vitamin C readily donates electrons to the iron present in extracellular proteins that contain it.

Does Vitamin C Help Clear Skin

There are many common skincare ingredients that are effective at treating and preventing acne. Retinol, salicylic acid, sulfur, benzoyl peroxide, to name a few. One of the less common ones thats claimed to clear up your skin is Vitamin C. But does Vitamin C help acne as much as those other ingredients are proven to do?

Vitamin C is a cult favorite for pretty much any skincare concern you may have. It can diminish fine lines and wrinkles, fade acne scars and hyperpigmentation in just a few weeks, give you glowing, bright skin practically overnight, it can even help with dark circles.

This potent ingredient has been touted as a do it all skincare ingredient. But, can it really? Does Vitamin C help acne? Theres a lot of misinformation out there floating around about vitamin c for acne. Does vitamin c cause acne or does it help acne? Does oral vitamin c help acne or is topical vitamin c better? What about vitamin C and cystic acne?

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How To Choose A Supplement

The FDA licenses various supplements. However, some of them are not held to the same safety standards as pharmaceuticals. Therefore, if you wish to take a vitamin C supplement, you should ensure that its a high-quality one bought from reliable sources. You should also have a clear idea about the dosage and choose supplements that have been tested by reputable companies. It is best to consult your doctor before you opt for a vitamin C or a multivitamin supplement.

Vitamin C is an important nutrient that keeps the immune system functioning properly. Most adults need 90 mg of vitamin C per day. To get enough of it in your diet, ensure you eat a variety of vegetables and fruits. Fruits rich in vitamin C include cantaloupe, orange, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits, kiwis, mangos, papayas, pineapples, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, certain peppers. spinach, tomatoes, and potatoes are some vegetables rich in vitamin C.

If you are suffering from vitamin C deficiency or need advice on increasing your immunity, visit the 8-2-8 Urgent Care walk-in clinic in Oceanside, CA. Our medical team will provide an effective solution to ensure an adequate vitamin C intake and strengthen your immunity.

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