What Is Vitamin C And What Does It Do

How To Take It

The best way to take vitamin C supplements is 2 – 3 times per day, with meals, depending on the dosage. Some studies suggest that adults should take 250 – 500 mg twice a day for any benefit. Talk to your doctor before taking more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C on a daily basis and before giving vitamin C to a child.

Daily intake of dietary vitamin C is listed below.

Pediatric

• Men over 18 years: 90 mg
• Women over 18 years: 75 mg
• Pregnant women 14 – 18 years: 80 mg
• Pregnant women over 18 years: 85 mg
• Breastfeeding women 14 – 18 years: 115 mg
• Breastfeeding women over 18 years: 120 mg

Because smoking depletes vitamin C, people who smoke may need an additional 35 mg per day.

The dose recommended to prevent or treat many of the conditions mentioned in the Uses section is often 500 – 1,000 mg per day.

How Common Is Vitamin C Deficiency

Scurvy due to vitamin C deficiency is rare in the UK.

There are certain groups of people who are more at risk of vitamin C deficiency. They include:

• People dependent on drugs and/or alcohol who may not have a healthy, balanced diet.
• People who go on very restrictive diets.
• People living on a low income who tend not to buy foods with a high vitamin C content.
• People with a medical condition that affects the body’s ability to digest and absorb food, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Older people who may eat a less varied diet.
• Smokers. Smoking affects the absorption of vitamin C from foods and also vitamin C is used up in the body more quickly in those who smoke.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women because they need higher amounts of vitamin C.

Potential Side Effects And Risks

Although irritation is unlikely, you should always do a patch test prior to full application. This is the only way to determine how your skin will react to the serum.

If your skin is especially sensitive, avoid products with L-ascorbic acid. Products with magnesium ascorbyl phosphate may be less likely to cause irritation.

Serum stability is affected by two things product formulation and packaging.

The following vitamin C derivatives are designed to retain potency for longer:

• L-ascorbic acid
• ascorbyl palmitate
• magnesium ascorbyl phosphate

You should also ensure that the product has a water-free formulation. And the bottle should be opaque and airtight.

Popular vitamin C serums include:

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How To Know If Your Child Has A Vitamin C Deficiency

The good news: Vitamin C deficiency is quite rare in the United States.

Vitamin C deficiency is very seldom seen in children and adults in developed countries, unless they have severe intestinal malabsorption or poor eating habits that avoid sources of vitamin C, says Dr. Radhakrishnan.

Diagnosing vitamin C deficiency requires special blood tests. But the main condition caused by deficiency of vitamin C is scurvy, which is very rare. Scurvy was described by the ancient Egyptians and in pirate stories, as it was a leading cause of death during long ship voyages in the industrial revolution era.

People with scurvy may have small brown spots on the skin, roughening of the skin, thickening of the gums and bleeding from the mucous membranes. They also may have a feeling of weakness or discomfort, emotional changes, poor wound healing, bone pain, and in late stages, jaundice, nerve involvement and convulsions.

Might Lighten Dark Spots

Vitamin C-based skin care products may lighten patches that are darker than the rest of your skin, called hyperpigmentation. In one study, vitamin C applied to the skin for 16 weeks significantly cut down on these spots. But experts say it will take more research to confirm how well vitamin C creams work.

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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.

How Much Vitamin C Is Enough

Most of the studies Moyad and his colleagues examined used 500 daily milligrams of vitamin C to achieve health results. That’s much higher than the RDA of 75-90 milligrams a day for adults. So unless you can eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, you may need to take a dietary supplement of vitamin C to gain all the benefits, Moyad says. He suggests taking 500 milligrams a day, in addition to eating five servings of fruits and vegetables.

“It is just not practical for most people to consume the required servings of fruits and vegetables needed on a consistent basis, whereas taking a once-daily supplement is safe, effective, and easy to do,” Moyad says. He also notes that only 10% to 20% of adults get the recommended nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

Moyad says there is no real downside to taking a 500-milligram supplement, except that some types may irritate the stomach. That’s why he recommends taking a non-acidic, buffered form of the vitamin. “The safe upper limit for vitamin C is 2,000 milligrams a day, and there is a great track record with strong evidence that taking 500 milligrams daily is safe,” he says.

Continued

Still, American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Dee Sandquist, RD, suggests doing your best to work more fruits and vegetables into your diet before taking supplements.

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What Does Vitamin C Do

Vitamin C helps to repair and regenerate tissues, protect against heart disease, aid in the absorption of iron, prevent scurvy, and decrease total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Research indicates that vitamin C may help protect against a variety of cancers by combating free radicals, and helping neutralize the effects of nitrites . Supplemental vitamin C may also lessen the duration and symptoms of a common cold, help delay or prevent cataracts, and support healthy immune function.

How Long Does Vitamin C Stay In The Body

The average half life of ascorbic acid in adult human is about 1020 days, with a turn over of 1 mg/kg body and a body pool of 22 mg/kg at plasma ascorbate concentration of 50 mol/ L . Hence ascorbic acid has to regularly supplemented through diet or tablets to maintain ascorbic acid pool in the body.

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May Help To Reduce The Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease

There are claims based on epidemiology that higher vitamin C consumption can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular mortality .

However, this has not been confirmed by any research to date.

Systematic reviews of the existing studies state that the evidence is low-quality and inconsistent .

Vitamin C may have a positive impact on cardiovascular risk, but the existing evidence is not enough to state this with any certainty.

That said, there are mechanisms for how the vitamin may reduce cardiovascular risk.

For instance, short-term clinical trials and a systematic review of observational studies suggest that higher vitamin C intake reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure .

Key Point:

How Else Does Vitamin C Benefit The Skin

Amazingly, vitamin C’s skin-saving benefits aren’t limited to its antioxidant status. It has plenty of other skin-healing properties that make it worthy of a permanent place in your medicine cabinet. For one, when vitamin C is used topically, because it’s highly acidic, “the skin is triggered to heal itself by accelerating the production of collagen and elastin,” explains New York City-based dermatologist Howard Sobel. Remember: Collagen and elastin are both naturally occurring protein fibers that help keep skin plump and firm. So, in helping to promote collagen production, topical vitamin C can help prevent premature aging of the skin.

Another cool thing about the ingredient: It contains a property that inhibits your skin’s melanin production, which is what causes skin discoloration like dark spots and hyperpigmentation, Wexler explains. With continued topical use, vitamin C can help prevent dark spots from forming in the first place.

“It’s a superior brightening agent that works to fade brown spots without altering normal skin pigmentation,” Sobel adds.

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Do I Need Any Investigations

Your doctor may suspect vitamin C deficiency after asking you careful questions about your diet and listening to the symptoms that you have. A blood test can be taken to measure vitamin C levels and may help to confirm the diagnosis.

Your doctor may also suggest some other blood tests to check for other deficiencies in your diet. For example, vitamin C is also needed for the absorption of iron from food. Therefore, iron deficiency often occurs in people who are deficient in vitamin C.

X-rays or scans to look at your bones may also be suggested because specific changes to the bones, including ‘thinning’ of the bones, are often seen in someone with vitamin C deficiency.

How To Use A Vitamin C Serum

Natalie tells us: Vitamin C is essential in everyones routine. Your body doesnt make this vitamin, so the only way to obtain its benefits is to apply it topically. One of the best delivery vehicles for Vitamin C to the skin is a serum. Heres how to use a Vitamin C serum in your skin care routine.

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Can A Vitamin C Supplement Really Keep You From Getting Sick

Despite it’s popularity as a remedy for the common cold, there’s actually no evidence to suggest that a large dose of vitamin C can actually prevent one or any other type of illness, for that matter.

And while you may have heard that a large dose of vitamin C can slightly reduce the duration of a cold, this only applies if you take that large dose every singleday of the year even when you’re not sick. This means that if you rip that vitamin C packet open after your symptoms begin, there’s no evidence to suggest it’ll actually shorten the length of your cold.

As it turns out, boosting your immune system is more complicated than just downing a packet or a pill. And while vitamin C does play an important role in supporting your immune system, it doesn’t take megadoses like the ones found in supplements which often contain 1667% more vitamin C than you actually need every day.

Vitamin C And Cancer Therapy

Vitamin C may help treat cancer, though experts have not confirmed this.

As an antioxidant, vitamin C protects the body from oxidative stress, which can occur when ROS levels are high. Oxidative stress can lead to cell damage and may play a role in some cancers.

A found that taking high doses of vitamin C may slow the growth of some types of cancerous tissue. The paper suggests that vitamin C could, one day, become a new treatment for colorectal cancer.

Also, the authors of a suggest that vitamin C might work well alongside other treatments to benefit people with cancer.

The note that some alternative therapists already use intravenous vitamin C when treating cancer, fatigue, and infections. However, they note that more research is necessary.

Intravenous vitamin C

2,000 mg per day .

Taking too much vitamin C is unlikely to cause any significant problems, but if a person consumes more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C per day, they will not absorb it all. This may lead to diarrhea and gastrointestinal discomfort.

People are unlikely to consume too much through their diet, and their bodies cannot store it. However, having a high intake through supplements may result in kidney stones.

This may also increase the risk of cardiovascular problems in females after menopause, but there is not enough evidence to confirm this.

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Is It Ok To Take Biotin And Vitamin C Together

No interactions were found between biotin and Vitamin C. This does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.

Similarly, Can you take biotin and vitamin B together?

No interactions were found between biotin and Vitamin B12. This does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.

Additionally, What should you not mix with biotin? Taking certain medicines can lower your blood levels of biotin, which could affect your biotin dose needs.Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using biotin with any other medications, especially:

• carbamazepine

• 22 What is biotin interference?

Best Vitamin C Supplements

There are a few different types of vitamin C supplements you can take if you choose to take one, like:

• Vitamin C tablets/capsules

And if you dont like tablets or struggle to take them:

• Vitamin C drink sachets
• Vitamin C oral sprays

Kids may prefer to take vitamin C gummies.

Wondering which is best for you? Have a read of our article on 11 of the best vitamin C supplements.

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Does Vitamin C Treat A Cold

The answer is yes and no because the result may vary from child to child . Vitamin C does not prevent the cold but can cut-short the longevity, and also reduce the severity of the symptoms. However, it may not work if you begin taking vitamin C after the onset of the cold.

Your child needs to take high amounts of the vitamin for it to have an effect on cold. But the other above-mentioned benefits can be reaped with the right quantities of the micronutrient.

What Are The Benefits Of Taking Vitamin C

Here are 7 scientifically proven benefits of taking a vitamin C supplement.

What is vitamin C found in?

Vitamin C is found naturally in vegetables and fruits, especially oranges and other citrus fruits. This key vitamin is also available as a natural dietary supplement in the form of vitamin C pills and vitamin C chewable tablets.

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Boosts Skin Cell Regeneration

Skin cell turnover is the process by which dead cells are shed from the skins top layer and new, fresh cells rise to the surface. One feature of healthy skin is its ability to efficiently turn over – a process that slows with age. With its acidic nature, Vitamin C is helpful in sloughing away dead and damaged skin cells, thereby speeding up the skins natural turnover process. This not only smooths skin texture, but also reduces dullness and minimizes the look of dark spots and hyperpigmentation.

Does Liposomal Vitamin C Have Any Side Effects

Standard vitamin C can easily cause digestive upset if taken in high doses. Liposomal vitamin C, however, since it is much more rapidly absorbed and used by the body, is far less likely to cause any side effects. Still, you should follow your health practitioner’s direction on a dose that is appropriate for you.

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Which Foods Are The Best Sources Of Vitamin C

Foods high in vitamin C include:26

• Red and green peppers

• Joint pain

People with low levels of vitamin C can also develop iron-deficiency anaemia.17

People at risk of scurvy include those whose diets lack fruits and veg, perhaps because of illness, alcohol abuse or smoking: it reduces how much vitamin C is absorbed by the body, increasing your need for the nutrient.28

A Little Bit Of History

Vitamin C played a significant role in the treatment of Scurvy which effected thousands of sailors between the 16th and 18th century.

It is a severe condition that leads to easy bruising and bleeding, lethargy, muscle weakness, chronic gum disease and skin problems.

Scurvy resulted in gross vitamin C deficiency due to diet and the lack of citrus fruits and fresh vegetables.

In 1747, whilst at sea, a Scottish naval physician James Lind conducted an experiment using three sailors groups.

James Lind physically demonstrated that eating citrus fruits such as oranges physically, lemons, and limes prevented, treated, and cured scurvy.

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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.

What Are The Side

The side effects of excess vitamin C are very rare and few cases have been reported so far. This is because the body flushes out the unused vitamin C content. Here are some problems your child can face due to the interaction of unabsorbed vitamin C in the gastrointestinal tract:

• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Flatulence

Vitamin C is one the most important micronutrients required for a child. The good thing is that it is adequately available in the foods, and these food sources are tasty to eat. Your child wouldnt complain having them in their diet.

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