What Are The Benefits Of Vitamin C Supplements

May Help Treat High Blood Pressure

In the UK, more than one-third of the population suffers from high blood pressure. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Studies have shown that vitamin C lowers blood pressure in adults with or without high blood pressure. Animal studies have shown that taking vitamin C supplements can relax the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart and lower blood pressure. In addition, a meta-analysis of 29 human studies found that taking vitamin C supplements increased systolic blood pressure by 3.8 mmHg and decreased diastolic blood pressure by an average of 1.5 mmHg. I did.

Vitamin C As A Powerful Antioxidant

Antioxidants protect you from free radicals, which are unstable molecules that are linked to disease and aging. Vitamin C is one of the most potent antioxidants, and can help increase the levels of antioxidants in your blood.

This in turn, helps prevent many chronic diseases. Antioxidants have been shown to fight heart disease, cancer, alzheimers, and help delay the physical effects of aging. In short, theyre super important for your health, and getting as many of them in your diet or through high quality supplementation is a really good idea.

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Abdollahzad, H., Eghtesadi, S., Nourmohammadi, I., Khadem-Ansari, M., Nejad-Gashti, H., and Esmaillzadeh, A. Effect of vitamin C supplementation on oxidative stress and lipid profiles in hemodialysis patients. Int J Vitam.Nutr Res 2009 79:281-287. View abstract.

Adams, J. B. and Holloway, C. Pilot study of a moderate dose multivitamin/mineral supplement for children with autistic spectrum disorder. J Altern Complement Med 2004 10:1033-1039. View abstract.

Ajayi, O. A., Okike, O. C., and Yusuf, Y. Haematological response to supplements of riboflavin and ascorbic acid in Nigerian young adults. Eur.J Haematol. 1990 44:209-212. View abstract.

Albanes, D., Malila, N., Taylor, P. R., Huttunen, J. K., Virtamo, J., Edwards, B. K., Rautalahti, M., Hartman, A. M., Barrett, M. J., Pietinen, P., Hartman, T. J., Sipponen, P., Lewin, K., Teerenhovi, L., Hietanen, P., Tangrea, J. A., Virtanen, M., and Heinonen, O. P. Effects of supplemental alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene on colorectal cancer: results from a controlled trial . Cancer Causes Control 2000 11:197-205. View abstract.

Ali, S. M. and Chakraborty, S. K. Role of plasma ascorbate in diabetic microangiopathy. Bangladesh Med Res Counc.Bull. 1989 15:47-59. View abstract.

Almendingen, K., Hofstad, B., and Vatn, M. H. Dietary habits and growth and recurrence of colorectal adenomas: results from a three-year endoscopic follow-up study. Nutr Cancer 2004 49:131-138. View abstract.

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Vitamin C Increases Calcium Absorption Boosts Bone Health

Going back to the synergy between different nutrients there is a relationship between vitamin C and calcium.

Notably, vitamin C enhances the absorption of calcium in the intestines .

One of the benefits of this increased absorption is greater bone mass density, and therefore, improved skeletal health.

To explain one study shows that postmenopausal women taking calcium alongside high vitamin C intake have increased bone mass density .

Further to this, a study among the Korean adult population found that the prevalence of osteoporosis drops as vitamin C intake increases .

Key Point:

The Benefits Of Vitamin C Supplements For Students In Nutrition And Health Programs

Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant that contributes to the growth and repair of body tissues. Most vitamins are obtained from food, as the body does not naturally produce them or produces them only in very small amounts. Vitamin C occurs naturally in many foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Good sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, such as oranges and lemons, and leafy greens, such as spinach and kale.

While a balanced diet should be sufficient to obtain healthy levels of vitamin C, many adults resort to vitamin supplements to eliminate the risk of deficiency. Vitamin C supplements can be an easy and effective way to ensure your daily requirements are met. Lets take a closer look at the role of vitamin C and how supplements can contribute to the healthy function of the body.

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Ways To Supplement Vitamin C

If you arent getting enough vitamin C, or youre experiencing mental fog, mood changes and other symptoms of low vitamin C, you may benefit from taking a vitamin C supplement. For example, Heights Smart Supplement conveniently provides a full days worth of this vital antioxidant.

There are many different forms of vitamin C available in supplements, including synthetic L-ascorbic acid and natural L-ascorbic acid. Research has found no evidence that one version of vitamin C is better or worse than another, and all have high bioavailability (your bodys ability to absorb and use vitamin C.

Vitamin C And Iron Deficiency

Iron is an important mineral that helps to make red blood cells, transport oxygen throughout the body, and is also important for immune health and proper functioning.

Its been found that vitamin C supplements can help your body absorb iron from your diet. Not all sources of iron are built equal. Plants, for example, have difficult to absorb sources of iron. However, vitamin C makes these difficult sources easier to absorb which means more iron for your body.

This can potentially be a way for people with anemia to introduce more iron into their diets.

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Balancing The Risks And Benefits Of Vitamin C Supplements

Image Credit:Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash. This image has been modified

Mainstream medicine has long had a healthy skepticism of dietary supplements, extending to the present day with commentaries like Enough is enough. In an essay entitled Battling quackery, however, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, its argued that we may have gone too far in our supplement bashing, as evidenced by our uncritical acceptance of supposed toxicities the surprisingly angry, scornful tone found in medical texts using words like careless, useless, indefensible, wasteful, and insidious and ignoring evidence of possible benefit.

To illustrate the uncritical acceptance of bad news about supplements, the authors discussed the well-known concept that high-dose vitamin C can cause kidney stones, as I highlight in my video Do Vitamin C Supplements Prevent Colds but Cause Kidney Stones? Just because something is well-known in medicine, however, doesnt mean its necessarily true. In fact, the authors couldnt find a single, reported case.

By that time, there actually were studies that followed populations of people taking vitamin C supplements and found no increased kidney stone risk among men, then later, the same was shown in women. So, you can understand the frustration of the authors of Battling quackery commentary that vitamin-C supplements appeared to be unfairly villainized.

What about intravenous vitamin C? Ive got a whole video series on that, including:

Vitamin C Is Essential For Good Health The Benefits Of Vitamin C Are That It Supports A Healthy Immune System And Helps Fight Infection

Vitamin C is L-ascorbic acid, which is an essential nutrient for good health. It is a key antioxidant that helps the body fight infection and form collagen. The benefits of vitamin C supplements include healthy bones, teeth, muscles and a properly functioning immune system. It can reduce stress, improve mood and may help prevent illness. Signs of deficiency include bone pain, muscle weakness, fatigue and a depressed mood. The key sources of the vitamin include food and supplements. Adults need at least 80mg of vitamin C per day. The body does not produce or sufficiently store vitamin C, so a daily supplement is recommended.

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Supplementing With Vitamin C Treats Scurvy

It may come as no surprise that scurvy a disease that results from vitamin C deficiency is commonly treated with vitamin C supplementation. According to research, the recommendation is to take 1 to 2 g of vitamin C for the first two or three days of treatment, 500 mg a day for the next week, then 100 mg a day for up to three months afterward.

The majority of people treated for scurvy experience symptom improvement within 48 hours and are fully recovered within 14 days, says Kelly Springer, RD, owner of Kelly’s Choice based in Skaneateles, New York.

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How To Encourage Your Vitamin C Intake

Should you need to encourage your intake, optimising your vitamin C levels has never been easier. In order to see the benefits of vitamin C, you may consider taking a vitamin C supplement. Supplements such as a Vitamin C Oral Spray are pill-free alternatives to traditional tablets.

Vitamin C cannot be stored in the body, so you need it in your diet every day. This daily spray uses oral spray technology to optimise your vitamin C levels fast and effectively.

With this easy-to-use, pill-free supplementation method, encouraging your vitamin C intake has never been easier. When sprayed into the mouth, this oral spray is an effective alternative to tablets and capsules. With a great tasting cherry and blueberry flavour, you can experience the health benefits of vitamin C.

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Vitamin C Food Sources

While vitamin C is found in small amounts in some animal products, such as fish roe and liver, you need to eat a diet that’s high in plant-based foods in order to get enough vitamin C.

Some of the best vitamin C-rich foods include:

• Citrus fruits, such as oranges, grapefruit and kiwis

• Strawberries

• Spinach

Vitamin C Benefits And Dosage

Not just for immunity, Vitamin C is a powerful brain nutrient. Explore vitamin C benefits in this supplement guide.

Vitamin C deficiencies are shockingly common in Europe and North America. Depending on factors like your diet, age and even your socioeconomic status, as many as one in five men and one in nine women don’t get enough vitamin C .

And while most people think of vitamin C as simply an immune-boosting nutrient, as an essential antioxidant vitamin C benefits all aspects of your health and wellnessincluding your brain health.

Whether you’re struggling to get enough vitamin C in your diet, or you’re trying to navigate the many vitamin C supplement options available, the following supplement guide will outline everything you need to know about vitamin C benefits, including:

• The vital functions that vitamin C supports in your body

• How vitamin C benefits your brain health, immune system, and other aspects of your wellness

• How to know if you’re not getting enough vitamin C

• What to eat to boost your dietary intake of vitamin C

• What to look for in your vitamin C supplements

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Benefits Of Taking Vitamin C Tablets For Skin And Health

• Post author Scientific review: Dr Heben’s Team

Nowadays, consuming supplements or vitamin had become a habit. This occurs not only to the elders but also children. Some of you might remember the time your mother thrusting a vitamin C to you before going to school or maybe after lunch. As a children, maybe you still do not know what is the benefit of consuming the rounded orange vitamin.

However, as you are aging and concerns about your health, then, you start to find out what the actual benefits are. The scientist said that Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin that humans are not capable of making internally but its needed for essential reaction in body.

Vitamin C found in food

You can Easily find Vitamin C in any healthy foods such as, fruits and vegetables. It is included in apples, asparagus, berries, broccoli, cabbage, melon, cauliflower, citrus lemons, limes, oranges, kiwi, breads, grains, cereal, kale, spinach, peppers especially, red bell peppers, then, potatoes and tomatoes.

Starting from vitamin C supplements, here are the benefits of taking Vitamin C tablets for skin and overall health treatments.

1. Wounds Healer

You have to thank vitamin C if your wounds heal faster than anyone else. Our body uses the vitamin C to replaced the damaged part so that, it will heal faster. In the opposite, if your wounds heal slowly, then, it means you have to more consuming vitamin C for your body is lack of it.

2. Sun protection

3. Collagen provider

What Does Vitamin C Do

Vitamin C helps to make a substance called collagen. Our bodies use collagen to maintain and repair the skin, bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, blood vessels and teeth. Its also essential for helping wounds to heal and support our immune systems.

When we dont get enough vitamin C through our food, our bodies arent able to produce enough collagen. This can lead to a condition called scurvy and vitamin C deficiency.

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It’s Essential For Innate And Adaptive Immunity

For example, as nutritionist Joanna Foley, R.D., CLT, previously shared with mindbodygreen, vitamin C promotes the multiplication of lymphocytes and helps immune cells, such as white blood cells , neutralize unwanted microbes.*

And that’s just the beginning. As mbg’s vice president of scientific affairs Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, explains, “Research on this essential water-soluble micronutrient and immunity indicates that vitamin C is fighting on our behalf in numerous and targeted ways, from skin barrier functions and phagocytosis to neutralizing microbes, cleanup of exhausted immune cells, and gene regulation.”*

Special Precautions & Warnings

Pregnancy and breast-feedingLIKELY SAFEPOSSIBLY UNSAFE

Infants and children: Vitamin C is LIKELY SAFE when taken by mouth appropriately. Vitamin C is POSSIBLY UNSAFE when taken by mouth in amounts higher than 400 mg daily for children 1 to 3 years, 650 mg daily for children 4 to 8 years, 1200 mg daily for children 9 to 13 years, and 1800 mg daily for adolescents 14 to 18 years.

Alcoholism: Alcohol intake can cause the body to excrete vitamin C in the urine. People who regularly use alcohol, especially those who have other illnesses, often have vitamin C deficiency. These people might need to be treated for a longer time than normal to restore vitamin C levels to normal.

Alzheimer’s disease: Taking vitamin C along with vitamin E and alpha-lipoic acid might worsen mental function in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Angioplasty, a heart procedure: Avoid taking supplements containing vitamin C or other antioxidant vitamins immediately before and following angioplasty without the supervision of a health care professional. These vitamins seem to interfere with proper healing.

Cancer: Cancerous cells collect high concentrations of vitamin C. Until more is known, only use high doses of vitamin C under the direction of your oncologist.

A metabolic deficiency called “glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase” deficiency: Large amounts of vitamin C can cause red blood cells to break in people with this condition. Avoid excessive amounts of vitamin C.

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Reduces The Risk Of Heart Disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. High blood pressure, high triglycerides or LDL cholesterol, and low HDL cholesterol are risk factors for heart disease. Vitamin C reduces these risk factors and helps reduce the risk of heart disease. An analysis of nine studies of a total of 293,172 participants found that people who took 700 mg of vitamin C daily were at greater risk of heart disease after 10 years than those who did not take vitamin C supplements. Its 25% lower.

What Is Vitamin C

Also known as ascorbic acid, ascorbate, or the band that plays that one song at every graduation, this vitamins first major usage was in the prevention and treatment of scurvy. Before we knew what vitamin C was, citrus fruits were seen as the common denominator. However, its importance as a nutrient has far outgrown its humble beginning as scurvy treatment.

Part of the reason that vitamin C has been thrown into the highest echelons of nutrient-stardom is that our bodies can neither produce nor store it. So, that means we have to be ingesting it either through food or supplements AND we have to be ingesting it on a regular basis since any excess thats not used gets passed through our system.

Like the guinea pig, weve got to get our fill from the environment around us. And when its something as important as vitamin C, it quickly becomes crucial to be getting enough. But what exactly are the health claims?

In a famous claim by Dr. Pauling in the 70s, large doses of vitamin C were purported to have the ability to protect people from the common cold. A wrench has been thrown into that claim since then, based on several placebo-controlled trials, but the wonders of the vitamin havent waned in the slightest.

These are some of the most amazing of these benefits.

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Symptoms Of Vitamin C Deficiency

In todays society, vitamin C deficiency is somewhat rare. Most people get enough from foods that are fortified with vitamins at the very least. However, some segments of the population are at greater risk for deficiency, like smokers, alcoholics and those with eating disorders. By some estimates, 13% of the population may actually struggle with lower levels of vitamin C. Vitamin C deficiency leads to a condition called scurvy. But I want to be clear, that optimal and deficient are two different things and the absence of scurvy doesnt mean your levels of vitamin C are sufficient for your needs.

Some of the signs that vitamin C deficiency may be an issue include:

• Poor immunity
• Anemia

Protects And Supports The Nervous System

“Vitamin C is found in very high levels in the brain and neuroendocrine tissue suggesting important roles in these organs and tissues,”* says Carr. Indeed, “science indicates that the brain and its neurons literally crave vitamin C and are sensitive to its absence or deficiency,”* explains Ferira.

She goes on to say that “Vitamin C’s role in the brain is rarely discussed but massively important. For example, this nutrient is enabling neurons and the myelin sheath on nerves to form.”*

And the vitamin C/brain support actions don’t end there. Ferira shares that, “even the formation of blood vessels in the brain requires vitamin C,”* thanks to its aforementioned role in the collagen production pathway. “And if there was ever an organ where you would want a stellar antioxidant like vitamin C helping to battle free radicals and redox balance, it’s the brain,”* says Ferira.

“For example, could support mood through the synthesis of neurotransmitters and neuropeptide hormones,”* Carr notes. In addition to their impact on mood, neurotransmitters and neuropeptides both play a part in the way in which information is transferred.

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