Strawberries To Boost Enzyme Activity
The human body doesn’t just use the vitamin C of these strawberries to protect against oxygen radicals the vitamin is also an important cofactor in a number of enzymatic activities, such as the synthesis of the protein collagen, which forms part of tendons, bones, cartilage and the skin. Poor wound healing can thus indicate a vitamin C deficiency.
Scientific Health Benefits Of Vitamin C
A diet loaded with vitamin Crich foods such as oranges, kiwi, and peppers helps more than just the immune system.
Cameron Whitman/Stocksy
Vitamin C is one of the most talked about vitamins. The nutrient gets special buzz for its immune-boosting potential. But touting vitamin C‘s ability to shorten the common cold only scratches the surface of its role in the body.
This antioxidant isnt naturally made by the body, so its crucial to obtain it from vitamin Crich foods, according to the Mayo Clinic. Vitamin C can be found in a variety of foods, including red and green bell peppers, citrus fruits, kiwi, broccoli, tomatoes, and Brussels sprouts, says Tamar Samuels, RDN, a cofounder of Culina Health in New York City.
Adult women need 75 milligrams of vitamin C per day, and adult men need 90 mg, according to the National Institutes of Health . Most Americans source enough of the nutrient through diet alone.
Read on to learn about seven major health benefits of vitamin C.
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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Vitamin C And Your Immune System
By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers: The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix
I have been taking Vitamin C to prevent colds and the flu since the 70s, when Linus Pauling declared vitamin Cs ability to defeat the common cold. I have always thought it helped prevent or shorten any illness. Since then, its been a hotly debated subject as to how effective it actually is for preventing colds, and influenza. Personally, I am a believer.
Vitamin C is a very potent antioxidant that protects against free radicals that can lower your immunity, and increase the risk of chronic disease, as well as speed up the aging process.
Vitamin C does help the immune system protect against viral infections and other types of infections more efficiently. It does this by strengthening the function of our innate immune system, which is our first line of defense against bacteria and virusesespecially those we have never encountered before.
In addition, vitamin C also activates the adaptive immune system responses to increase levels of antibodies which attack specific types of germs, bacteria and viruses that the body has previously fought off.
A recent study published in Seminars in Preventive and Alternative Medicine looked at over 100 studies and found a growing list of benefits of vitamin C. Some of those health benefits include:
This is where liposomal vitamin C has an advantage.
References
How Much Vitamin C Should You Take
When it comes to vitamin C, many people think more is better. The recommended daily amount is about 65-90mg per day, and the upper limit is 2,000mg per day. Most supplements on the market provide much more than 90mg, and if you’re eating foods with vitamin C and supplementing, you’re meeting your 90mg requirement and then some.
If you’re taking more vitamin C than is recommended, it’s unlikely to hurt you since the vitamin is not stored in the body. “For some, consuming too much vitamin C can cause stomach upset, like diarrhea, nausea or cramps,” Randazzo says. In fact, if you are sick, your body needs much more vitamin C and your needs can increase due to inflammation and other factors. This is why it’s important to talk to a health professional like a doctor or nutritionist to help you determine how much vitamin C you need to prevent or treat illness.
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A Radical Pursuer Of Radicals
As an antioxidant, vitamin C reduces the damage caused by oxygen free radicals to molecules that are essential for the body. These radicals are produced during normal metabolic processes. However, harmful substances such as tobacco quickly lead to oxidative stress and the increased formation of free radicals. This also increases the need for vitamin C.
Healthy Lifestyle Tips For Immune Support
Living a healthy lifestyle is one of best things you can do to support your immune system. Eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet is important, of course, but there are other important habits as well. Getting adequate sleep, exercising regularly, and practicing proper handwashing hygiene are a few habits to incorporate into your day-to-day routine to help ward off illness and infection. We cant always avoid getting sick, but we can take certain measures to maintain our health as much as possible. Learn more about lifestyle habits that can help support your immune system.
Enjoy your rest
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Forms Of Vitamin C For Dogs
There are a few forms of vitamin C found in supplements for dogs. The most common are mineral ascorbates, also known as mineral salts of ascorbic acid.
To help buffer the acidity of pure vitamin C, these forms are often combined with other nutrients. This non-acidic combination makes them more easily absorbed and gentle on your dog’s stomach.
Calcium ascorbate
One form of vitamin C for dogs is calcium ascorbate. Calcium ascorbate has about 80-90% vitamin C and 10% calcium. This ratio makes this supplement a great alternative for sensitive stomachs.
Sodium ascorbate
The other most common form of vitamin C is sodium ascorbate. Like calcium ascorbate, sodium ascorbate contains a low dose of sodium per 1,000 mg.
Other forms of vitamin C include:
- Magnesium ascorbate
- Ester C calcium ascorbate
Why Vitamin C Won’t ‘boost’ Your Immune System Against The Coronavirus
Can people spread the coronavirus after they recover?
Vitamin C is extremely unlikely to help people fight off the new coronavirus.
When afflicted with the common cold, many people chug orange juice and swallow vitamin C supplements in an attempt to “boost” their immune systems. But vitamin C supplements don’t ward off the common cold in most people, and there’s even less evidence that they grant immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
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The Discovery Of Scurvy
The discovery of vitamin C and scurvy happened at the same time, in the 1920s, when vitamin C deficiency was a serious and fairly common condition. Sailors on long sea voyages who subsisted on fish, dried meats, and hard tack , with no access to fresh or preserved produce, frequently experienced symptoms of scurvy, a disease characterized by the breakdown of connective tissues.
Historians estimate that between the first voyage of Columbus and the rise of the steam engine in the mid-19th century, over two million sailors perished from the disease. Shipping companies and governments assumed that half of the sailors would die from scurvy on any given voyage.
After experimenting with useless and often dangerous treatments like vinegar, elixir of vitriol , and various potent laxatives, seamen finally discovered a solution in the mid-1700s. When a badly damaged British naval fleet made their way to Juan Fernández Island with just a few hundred men left alive out of the original 1200, they miraculously reversed their scurvy once they began eating the foods readily available on the island: oats, clover, radishes, sorrel, and other vegetable foods rich in vitamin C.
People Under Heavy Physical Stress
Some authors have reported a high incidence of respiratory infections in military training centers, probably also due to an overcrowding of individuals often coming from different geographical areas . More data are available on athletes, for whom daily high-intensity training and competitions have been associated with transient immune perturbations, inflammation conditions, and increased susceptibility to infections . Furthermore, compared to the general population, athletes have a higher exposure to pathogens, due to frequent travel and sports events , which may potentially increase the risk of developing viral infections.
Data in literature referring to the effect of vitamin C supplementation on the prevention of the common cold in these subjects are interesting, despite being limited at present. As was well described by Hemilä and Chalker, vitamin C supplementation may decrease the incidence of colds by about 50% in people under extreme physical stress. More recently, Kim et al. carried out a large randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 1,444 Korean soldiers, 695 of whom received vitamin C for 30 days. They showed that the vitamin C group had a 0.80-fold lower risk of getting the common cold compared to the placebo group .
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What Is The Best Form Of Vitamin C To Take For My Immune System
Vitamin C supplements come in different shapes and doses. You can find them as capsules, drops, effervescent tablets, and even chewables and gummies. It turns out that looking for the best vitamin C supplement for the immune system is all about the delivery system. In other words, how effective is the formula at making vitamin C accessible to the body and keeping it from being flushed out?
Life Extension’s newest vitamin C supplement, Vitamin C 24-Hour Liposomal Hydrogel Formula, is a great example of why liposomal formulas can be more effective at ensuring the body has enough time to make use of ascorbic acid’s health benefits. “It uses a novel delivery system that makes vitamin C available to the body for up to 24 hours and offers up to seven times greater absorption than standard vitamin C,” noted Dr. Wilson.
The body does absorb most of the vitamin C in conventional formulas, but you need to take it throughout the day if it’s not in liposomal form, rather than being “one and done.” Why? As Dr. Wilson explained, conventional vitamin C formulations won’t help maintain enough plasma concentrations to allow the body to use it before it’s been flushed out.
Whichever brand or formula you choose, the secret to choosing high-quality supplements is to look for formulations that are clinically studied for optimal results. “When you purchase a supplement, you have to make sure you choose a reliable and transparent company,” Dr. Wilson added.
Intravenous Administration Of Vitamin C: A Potential Role In The Treatment Of Covid
While an extra dietary intake of vitamin C to counter pneumonia does not seem promising, several interesting data have emerged from the use of vitamin C through IA, providing an encouraging, but questioned, hypothesis on its potential pharmacological use for the treatment of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV2 infection. In fact, as opposed to oral supplementation, in which the maximum peak plasma concentration that was achieved with a high-dose was 220 mol/L , the IA of vitamin C, bypassing the limitations induced by intestinal transporters , may lead to a higher plasma level .
Therefore, considering the aspects mentioned above, the infusion of vitamin C has recently been suggested to treat COVID-19 in ICU hospitalized patients . Below, we summarize the most substantial evidence obtained in critical illness studies based on IA of vitamin C regarding the most relevant outcomes which may relate to SARS-CoV2-induced ARDS.
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Can Vitamin C Prevent Or Treat Cold Symptoms
Vitamin C has been studied for many years as a possible treatment for colds, or as a way to help prevent colds. But findings have been inconsistent. Overall, experts have found little to no benefit from vitamin C for preventing or treating the common cold.
In a July 2007 study, researchers wanted to discover whether taking 200 milligrams or more of vitamin C daily could reduce the frequency, duration, or severity of a cold. After reviewing 60 years of clinical research, they found that when taken after a cold starts, vitamin C supplements do not make a cold shorter or less severe. When taken daily, vitamin C very slightly shortened cold duration — by 8% in adults and by 14% in children.
In 2010, researchers looked at all studies and found that taking vitamin C every day did not prevent the number of colds that a person got. In some cases, it made symptoms improve.
The results were different for people who were in very good physical condition, such as marathon runners. People like that who took vitamin C every day cut their risk of catching a cold in half.
So what does all this mean?
Continued
According to this research, the average adult who suffers with a cold for 12 days a year would still suffer for about 11 days a year if that person took a high dose of vitamin C every day during that year.
For the average child who suffers about 28 days of cold illness a year, taking daily high-dose vitamin C would still likely mean about 24 days of cold illness.
Effects Of Ia Of Vitamin C On Inflammation Markers
Figure 1 Schematic mechanism in which an IA of vitamin C could modulate specific functions of neutrophils , inhibiting pathways involved in the Neutrophil Extracellular Trap formation and reducing the uncontrollable inflammatory cytokine production in the alveolar space. Potential effects on reducing cytokine production have also been speculated in lymphocytes and macrophages. ROS, reactive oxygen species NFkB, nuclear transcription factor kappa B , inhibition stimulus dashed arrow, reduced effect or production.
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Clinical Efficacy Of Vitamin C In Critically Ill Patients Without Covid
More than hundreds of animal studies have demonstrated that a few grams of vitamin Cs daily dose may prevent infections . A pilot study on 24 critically ill patients with sepsis revealed that intravenous vitamin C administration reduces the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores and levels of pro-inflammatory markers significantly over the 4-day study period in patients who received 50 and 200 mg/kg per day vitamin C in comparison with patients who received placebo . Interestingly, a randomized control trial did not change levels of inflammatory markers or SOFA scores in sepsis-induced ARDS patients after IV vitamin C 200 mg/kg per day administration for 4 days. However, the hospital stays and the mortality rate decreased significantly in the treatment group in 28 days . Several controlled studies point out that the combination therapy of vitamin C, hydrocortisone, and thiamine had auspicious effects in sepsis or severe pneumonia patients . Again, a randomized control trial study in patients with septic shock compared the outcomes of the combination therapy of vitamin C , hydrocortisone , and thiamine to hydrocortisone alone. The studys findings showed that combination therapy did not affect the duration of a shock though significantly improved the SOFA score in treatment groups . These clinical findings suggested that vitamin C may play a significant role in the management of COVID-19 infection.
Table 1 Role of vitamin C in the modulation of several complications
Best Vitamin C Dosage For The Immune System
According to Dr. Wilson, getting 500 to 2000 mg of daily vitamin C is sufficient for basic support. However, when you’re facing an immune system challenge, your needs for vitamin C may increase, and you may need to provide your body with higher doses of vitamin C to support immune health and function.
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Do You Need Supplements
Health experts recommend that you consume adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables to meet your daily requirement of vitamin C. However, if you cannot do so, supplements may be required. You could also opt for a multivitamin supplement because it is possible that your body may not have adequate quantities of several nutrients.
Why Getting Vitamin C Through Your Diet Is Important
Vitamin C is an important nutrient for your body since it:
- Acts as an antioxidant
- Supports your immune system
In addition, vitamin C is thought to have beneficial effects on your overall health, including reducing your risk of cancer, heart disease and the most common causes of vision loss .
While vitamin C is an important nutrient, your body doesn’t actually make it so it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin C from your diet.
The amount you need depends on your age and gender, but, in general, adults should aim to get between 65 to 90 mg of vitamin C per day. You can get all the vitamin C you need by drinking a glass of orange juice or eating a cup of strawberries, bell pepper, broccoli, Brussels sprouts or kale. In addition, some of the herbs you commonly cook with also contain significant amounts of vitamin C, including thyme and parsley.
Another reason to get the recommended amount of vitamin C through your diet, rather than a supplement, is that healthy, whole foods also contain other beneficial vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.
Most people following a healthy diet have no problem getting the recommended amount of vitamin C every day. However, if you think you aren’t, you can always consider taking a multivitamin as most contain the recommended amount of vitamin C you need every day.
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