Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid is a popular vitamin that everyone is trying to load up on recently, as they are starting to know how important it is and how easy it is to get it. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that the human body cannot produce on its own, so we must rely on natural or fortified foods and supplements to get our daily requirements of it. You can have as much Vitamin C as you want since the body doesn’t store it so there is no issue of overdosing as the body excretes the excess in urine, eat foods rich in Vitamin C raw, and don’t cook them in water as some of the Vitamin C content dissolves in the cooking water and you won’t benefit from it.
There are tons of Vitamin C supplements that played a major role in treating covid patients in the past couple of years and a lot of cosmetics now have Vitamin C in them as they have wonderful health properties.
Why do we Need Vitamin C?
- Vitamin C is required for collagen synthesis which is the most abundant protein in the body and the main constituent of blood vessel walls, and basement membranes that separate the dermis from the epidermis of your skin. Many dermatologists describe Vitamin C-rich serums and creams to enhance the production of collagen in the skin to rejuvenate the skin, reduce wrinkles, and make it brighter and younger.
- It is one of the strongest antioxidants It helps regenerate more antioxidants in the body like alpha-tocopherol lowering the damage caused by free radicals and reactive oxygen species, and lowering the risk of developing many diseases that are caused by the accumulation of oxidative stress.
- Boosts your immunity as it has powerful antioxidant properties along with aiding in the killing of microbes and enhancing tissue repair so the practice of having oranges and lemons when you’re having the flu is quite beneficial as it will help you recover faster and lower the severity of the symptoms and it also has some antihistamine properties.
- Plays a vital role in wound healing as it is required for inflammatory cell clearance and the deposition of the fibrin matrix that closes the wound.
- Improves the absorption of nonheme iron, the type of iron we get from plant sources that cannot be absorbed in the ferric state so it helps reduce it to the ferrous state to be easily absorbed in the stomach which helps you fight anemia by making more RBCs.
- It plays a role in the making of some important neurotransmitters that connect the brain to the rest of the body so it enhances cognitive functions.
- It has been shown to lower the risk of developing some types of cancers by limiting the formation of carcinogens such as nitrosamines along with their powerful antioxidant properties that hinder cancer progression and improve response to treatments
- Protects the cardiovascular system by lowering the concentration of low-density lipoproteins which are a major cause of atherosclerosis and they reduce monocytes’ adherence to blood vessel walls and improve nitric oxide production leading to vasodilation and lowering blood pressure, it also reduces endothelial cells apoptosis which can cause plaque instability and embolism formation causing strokes.
- It has eye protective potential through its powerful antioxidant function so it delays the progression of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts which are caused by the accumulation of oxidative damage in the eye
» Now, Let’s Discover How much Vitamin C do I need daily?