Posts Tagged ‘C’
Why You Need Vitamin C
According to the Food Standards Agency, vitamin C “is a water-soluble vitamin, which means you need it in your diet every day because it can’t be stored in the body.” We need this vitamin to maintain our cells and facilitate iron absorption. Adults need just 40 mg per day, which can easily be obtained from peppers, broccoli, oranges, kiwi, sweet potatoes or Brussels sprouts. While taking as much as 1,000 mg of supplements does not cause any serious harm, you may have some flatulence, stomach pain or diarrhea associated with the overabundance.
You might need extra of the C vitamin if you’re a smoker or a drinker, if you have a virus or fever, if you’re extremely stressed all the time, if you are taking antibiotics or cortisone or if you’re exposed to environmental toxins like lead, mercury or cadmium. This vitamin aids in the formation of collagen and other connective tissues. It takes an active role in maintaining healthy blood vessels, healing wounds, producing thyroid hormones, metabolizing folic acid and tryptophan, as well as regulating the excretion of stress hormones like norepinephrine and epinephrine. Without this vitamin, we’d have a hard time regulating proper iron and calcium absorption.
Generally, you need at least 40 mg of vitamin C each day. Without the proper amount of this vitamin, calcium levels may be way too high or the converse may happen, causing a calcium deficiency. If calcium becomes insoluble, then a build-up occurs and soft tissues becomes calcified, which speeds up the aging process. If there is too little calcium, then leg cramps, fatigue, joint pain, gastrointestinal problems and anxiety may occur. In addition to regulating our calcium intake, the C vitamin also keeps our levels of copper and zinc reasonably low.
Just recently, Mt. Sinai Medical Center found links between C vitamin intake and bone health in elderly patients. Study author Katherine Tucker reported that the vitamin “protects against inflammation, which contributes to bone absorption and bone loss, as well as being essential for the creation of collagen, which helps strengthen bones.” She added that not only are calcium supplements important to prevent osteoporosis, but vitamin C is too. However, the results weren’t as impressive in patients who smoked, which is one of the limitations of this approach. Even so, a few healthy fruits and vegetables never hurt anyone.
Tags: Health, exercise, nutrition
