Vitamin C is important because it's a vital nutrient that helps make bones, skin, and blood vessels. It's naturally found in some foods, especially fruits and vegetables, and also comes in supplements. It's also known as ascorbic acid.

The importance of vitamin C:-

- All vitamins, including vitamin C, are organic compounds. An organic compound exists in living things and contains carbon and oxygen.

- The body needs to eat foods with vitamin C daily because it's water-soluble and the body doesn't store it.

- Vitamin C plays a key role in many body functions like making collagen and carnitine. Carnitine is made in small amounts in the body from amino acids along with vitamins like C and B. Vitamin C also helps some neurotransmitters and its antioxidant action may lower the risk of some cancers.

- Vitamin C helps produce collagen. About 1 to 2% of muscle tissue is collagen, which is an important part of fibrous tissues like:-

• Tendons
• Ligaments
• Skin
• Cornea
• Cartilage
• Bones
• Intestines
• Blood vessels

- Vitamin C helps wounds heal. Research since 1942 shows wounds take longer to heal if someone has scurvy. Scurvy happens from low vitamin C. Symptoms include swollen joints, bleeding gums and teeth, anemia, and fatigue. Rebound scurvy happens if someone takes very high doses of vitamin C then stops quickly.

Role of vitamin C in healing wounds, infections, and tuberculosis :-

- In 1982 researchers found that wounds healed faster in people who ate more vitamin C through food. This might be because vitamin C helps produce collagen.

- Vitamin C helps repair tissues and reduce damage caused by inflammation and oxidation as an antioxidant.

- People with enough vitamin C handle infections better than those who lack it.

- Vitamin C helps prevent severe respiratory infections especially in people with poor nutrition and physical stress.

- Researchers also found that vitamin C plays a role in killing tuberculosis bacteria.

Role of vitamin C in cancer treatment :-

- Vitamin C helps treat cancer as an antioxidant. It protects the body from oxidative stress and stops other molecules from oxidizing. It also seems to renew other antioxidants in the body.

- Researchers suggested using vitamin C to treat cancer patients with limited options because high doses of vitamin C can slow the growth of some types of cancer tissues.

- More studies are needed to understand which cancer types are affected by vitamin C and what other effective treatments can be used alongside it, as well as the long-term effects of this treatment.

- Some scientists opposed using vitamin C for cancer treatment, but in 2013 researchers found evidence that high doses of vitamin C intravenously may benefit cancer patients, and a 2015 study confirmed its effectiveness.

- The National Cancer Institute reported many studies used high doses of vitamin C intravenously with some side effects, supported and already used by some doctors in treatment.

- Dr. Ronald Hoffman said: "Current research shows that high concentrations of vitamin C can stop or even kill many cancer cells. Only intravenous vitamin C can give the high doses proven effective against cancer."

- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved intravenous vitamin C for cancer treatment, including for patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, and it is not recognized as a treatment.

The benefits of vitamin C may include:-

• Heart and blood vessel health:

Vitamin C helps widen blood vessels, protecting against heart diseases and high blood pressure.

• Cholesterol:

It was found that cholesterol is lower in people who have enough vitamin C.

• Cataracts:

Vitamin C helps reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, a condition that usually affects older people and causes loss of central vision due to damage to the retina.

• Diabetes:

Patients are less likely to have kidney, eye, and nerve damage if they eat lots of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C.

• Anemia:

Vitamin C boosts iron absorption.

• Lead:

Lead levels can drop if there’s enough vitamin C.

• Histamine:

Histamine is a substance made by the immune system that causes inflammation and other issues. A study from 1992 found lower histamine levels in the blood of people who took 2 grams of vitamin C daily.

• Sea sickness:

In a study with 70 people who took either 2 grams of vitamin C or a fake drug and then spent 20 minutes in the waves, those who took vitamin C had fewer sea sickness symptoms.

The importance of vitamin C for treating colds:

- Many people think vitamin C can treat colds but research hasn't confirmed that yet. Still, big doses of vitamin C protect people who do hard physical activity in cold weather.

- People with low vitamin C from smoking or aging find supplements helpful.

- According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) adult men should take 90 mg of vitamin C daily and adult women 75 mg daily. Pregnant women need 85 mg a day and 120 mg when breastfeeding.

- The daily value recommended by the FDA (DV) for vitamin C is 90 mg.

Sources to get vitamin C :-

The best sources of vitamin C are fresh fruits and vegetables. Heat and cooking in water destroy some vitamin C, so fresh foods not exposed to heat are best.

Foods that contain vitamin C :-

• Half a cup of sweet red pepper: 95 mg.
• Medium orange: 70 mg.
• Half a cup of fresh strawberries: 49 mg.
• Half a cup of spinach: 9 mg.

- We should not forget the role of other good sources like citrus fruits, tomatoes, and potatoes to get vitamin C.

People at risk of vitamin C deficiency :-

• Smokers and passive smokers.
• People with a limited variety of food.
• Infants who consume boiled milk.
• People who suffer from malabsorption and some chronic diseases.

- Smokers have lower vitamin C levels compared to non-smokers. This is due to their high oxidative stress. Smoking also causes inflammation and damage to the mucous membranes in the mouth, throat, and lungs.

- NIH recommends smokers to consume an extra 35 mg of vitamin C daily because vitamin C is essential for healthy mucous membranes and helps reduce inflammation.

Effects of taking too much vitamin C :-

- Taking too much vitamin C usually doesn’t cause problems, but sometimes eating more than 1000 mg a day might mean not all of it is absorbed in the intestines, causing diarrhea and stomach discomfort.

- Taking large amounts of vitamin C supplements might cause kidney stones and could raise the risk of heart and blood vessel diseases in postmenopausal women, but this isn't confirmed.

- People with hereditary hemochromatosis (an iron absorption disorder) should talk to their doctor before taking vitamin C supplements because too much vitamin C can cause tissue damage.

- The recommended max daily amount of vitamin C for adult men and women is 2000 mg.

To get your ideal body with good health, you need to stick to a balanced diet and exercise that suits you. Since your goal, fitness, and health matter to us, we connected you with a specialist at Fitness Garage.