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How Much Do You Really Know

about Vitamin C?Perhaps the most well-known vitamin, and one that is frequently cited as

vital to good health, but what is Vitamin C exactly? Vitamin C or L-

ascorbic acid is a key nutrient and antioxidant essential to our diet.

When our bodies contain more free radicals than antioxidants, our

bodies are said to be under oxidative stress [1]. Health issues that can

arise from oxidative stress include hypertension, cardiovascular disease,

chronic inflammatory disease and diabetes [2,3,4]. Vitamin C can help to

protect the body against oxidative stress, by raising the levels of

antioxidants in the body.

Many animals can synthesize Vitamin C in their bodies; however,

humans have lost the ability to do so. One possible reason is that rapid

evolutionary changes in humans caused us to lose the capability to

produce our own Vitamin C supply [5,6,7], so we must stock up on the

Vitamin through the consumption of fruits, vegetables and meats.

Because our bodies can only store certain quantities of Vitamin C, it

needs to be consumed on a regular basis, or diseases associated withVitamin C deficiency such as scurvy may develop. However, scurvy is no

longer a health issue associated with modern day Western society, since

sufficient quantities of Vitamin C are consumed in a diet rich with

vegetables and fruits.

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If this is the case, then why is Vitamin C still so important? There are

other chronic diseases associated with low consumption of Vitamin C

such as cancer, heart disease and cataracts. One study found that in

order to protect the body against these diseases, a daily intake of 90-

100mg is required, higher than the 45mg prescribed against scurvy [8].

In addition to its antioxidant properties, Vitamin C has been found in

high concentration in immune cells and it is consumed quickly during

infections. It is also a natural antihistamine, preventing histamine

release in the body and also detoxifying histamines already present in

the body. This process can be helpful to people who suffer allergies or

asthma. One study found that 2g of Vitamin C per day reduced levels of

histamine in the blood [9].

The National American Dietary Reference Intake recommends a daily

consumption of 90mg-1g per day [10]. The most effective method of

keeping our Vitamin C levels high is through a healthy diet. Most fruits

and vegetables, such as citrus fruits and rose hips, are very high in

Vitamin C, and some meats, such as liver, also contain a good quantity.

The extra intake of Vitamin C through supplements is not necessary for

healthy adults who eat a balanced diet; however it is recommended for

pregnant women, smokers and those under stress.

References

[1] McGregor, GP; Biesalski, HK (2006). Rationale and impact of vitamin C in

clinical nutrition. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care 9

(6): 697703.

[2] Kelly, FJ (1998). Use of antioxidants in the prevention and treatment of

disease. Journal of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry / IFCC

10 (1): 213.

[3] Mayne, ST (2003). Antioxidant nutrients and chronic disease: use of

biomarkers of exposure and oxidative stress status in epidemiologic

research. The Journal of nutrition 133 Suppl 3: 933S940S.

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[4] Tak, PP; Zvaifler, NJ; Green, DR; Firestein, GS (2000). Rheumatoid arthritis

and p53: how oxidative stress might alter the course of inflammatory

diseases. Immunology today 21 (2): 7882.

[5] Challem, J; Taylor, EW (1998). Retroviruses, Ascorbate, and Mutations, in

the Evolution of Homo sapiens. Free Radical Biology and Medicine 25 (1):

1302.

[6] Bnhegyi, G; Braun, L; Csala, M; Pusks, F; Mandl, J (1997). Ascorbate

Metabolism and Its Regulation in Animals. Free Radical Biology and Medicine

23 (5): 793803.

[7] Stone, I (1979). Homo sapiens ascorbicus, a biochemically corrected

robust human mutant. Medical Hypotheses 5 (6): 71121.

[8] A.C. Carr, B. Frei, Toward a new recommended dietary allowance for

vitamin C based on antioxidant and health effects in humans, American

Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 69, No. 6, 1086-1107, June 1999.

[9] Johnston, Carol S.; Martin, L. J.; Cai, X. (1992). Antihistamine effect of

supplemental ascorbic acid and neutrophil chemotaxis. Am Coll Nutr11 (2):

172176.

[10]

http://web.archive.org/web/20080529070818/http://www.iom.edu/Object.

File/Master/7/296/webtablevitamins.pdf Accessed October 2011

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