Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin which is essential for normal functioning of the body. Unlike most mammals, humans don’t have the ability to make their own vitamin C. We must therefore obtain vitamin C through our diet.
Vitamin C is required in the synthesis of collagen in connective tissue, neurotransmitters, steroid hormones, carnitine, conversion of cholesterol to bile acids and enhances iron bioavailability. Ascorbic acid is a great antioxidant and helps protect the body against pollutants.
Because vitamin C is a biological reducing agent, it is also linked to prevention of degenerative diseases – such as cataracts, certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
Ascorbic acid also promotes healthy cell development, proper calcium absorption, normal tissue growth and repair – such as healing of wounds and burns. It assists in the prevention of blood clotting and bruising, and strengthening the walls of the capillaries.
Vitamin C is needed for healthy gums, to help protect against infection, and assisting with clearing up infections and is thought to enhance the immune system and help reduce cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and preventing arteriosclerosis.
The dosage underneath is the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), but be aware that this dosage is the minimum that you require per day, to ward off serious deficiency of this particular nutrient. In the therapeutic use of this nutrient, the dosage is usually increased considerably, but the toxicity level must be kept in mind.
The RDA is 60 mg, per day – yet this amount will only prevent you from picking up scurvy and more recent studies suggest that an intake between 200 – 500 mg per day may be the most beneficial for healthy people.
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