The "Why" Behind Vitamin C

Everyone has been saying to "up your vitamin C" since COVID began. But why is vitamin C so great? How can it help our health? 

Well here's some quick information about Vitamin C and why it's great addition to your everyday intake! 

Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) is a water soluble vitamin, meaning is it dissolved by water and carried to your tissues, but doesn't hang around for long, thus it is essential to get a dose of vitamin C daily! 

Vitamin C plays an essential role in making collagen. Collagen is a fibrous protein in tissue all over the body that gives the tissue its strength. In addition, vitamin C promotes wound healing. Vitamin C also protects cells as a powerful antioxidant.

Vitamin C is found in both fruits and veggies, sources include: 

• Citrus fruits
• Peppers 
• Strawberries 
• Tomatoes 
• Broccoli 
• Brussel sprouts 
  
• Potatoes 

The Riordan Clinic (a functional & integrative non-profit clinic) has tested baseline serum levels of Vitamin C for the last 45 years and discovered that most chronically ill patients have a low or severely deficient level of serum ascorbate (vitamin C). 

One study out of Germany showed that in active people (marathon runners, skiers, etc.) taking 200mg daily could cut the chances of getting a cold by 50%. In the average person, Vitamin C can reduce the length of symptoms of a cold. Besides colds, personally vitamin C has helped me increase my iron storage! I've struggled with iron-deficiency anemia for years, but adding vitamin c to my diet daily has increased my hemoglobin, which is another great benefit of Vitamin C!  

The Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine posted an article in July 2020 looking at the effects of Vitamin C and COVID19. Long story short - vitamin C protects your bodies cells against harm caused by viruses. In addition, they state how when the body is stressed (emotionally or physically), vitamin C can be rapidly depleted. If you want to read the whole article, check it out here: Nutrition Therapy for Severe Viral Infections (COVID-19): Recommendations and Considerations for Integrative Medical Treatments

What should you do? 

• Personally, I suggest taking vitamin C daily, not just at the start of a cold. 
• In medical training (doctors too) we're taught very little about nutrition, thus suggesting vitamins as treatment isn't our first thought. 

How much?

• The Recommended Dietary Allowance: 
• Adults 19 years and older: 90 mg daily for men and 75 mg for women. 
• Pregnancy & lactation: (amount increases) 85 mg - 120 mg daily
• Smoking can deplete vitamin C levels in the body - an additional 35 mg beyond the RDA is suggested for smokers.
• Personally, I take about 4,000mg daily with no side effects. I recommend increasing your dose when you are sick and then having a baseline level you take everyday. 

Can I take too much? 

• The body can only absorb so much vitamin C at a time, so what's not absorbed is peed out. 
• The most common signs of too much vitamin C include nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, though most people don't experience this and you can simply decrease your dose if you have side effects.

It's important to talk to your healthcare provider about what's right for you, especially if you have any underlying medical conditions. 

If you have anymore questions about Vitamin C, post a question in the comments! 

Disclaimer: Vitamin C is important addition to your diet daily, but these are my opinions & should not be taken as medical advice. 

Sources: 

Ziccarelli V (2020) Nutrition therapy for severe viral infections (COVID-19): Recommendations and considerations for integrative medical treatments. J Orthomol Med. 35(1)

Harvard Vitamin C

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279544/#:~:text=Taking%20vitamin%20C%20every%20day,any%20effect%20on%20your%20cold.