A lot of people have taken vitamin C at some stage in their life, but how much do you really know about this commonly used vitamin.
Well to start with there is a good chance that the vitamin C you may have taken, was in the form of synthetic ascorbic acid which is a low-cost, manufactured mimic of food-state vitamin C. Non-food-state ascorbic acid is made via a chemical laboratory process and therefore doesn't contain the co-factors and biomarkers that food-state vitamin C does. It is far better to take a natural food-state vitamin C because it has no chemical tag-alongs, and because of its biomarkers and co-factors, the body naturally recognises, assimilates and utilises the nutrient more readily.
A Few Facts About Vitamin C
- Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin
- The human body cannot synthesise its own vitamin C therefore it must be acquired from the diet
- Only very small amounts of vitamin C are stored in the body therefore it is necessary to ingest vitamin C on a regular basis for good health
- Vitamin C is an unstable vitamin that is sensitive to heat and light, and is easily lost during cooking of foods, making it more readily available in raw foods
- Vitamin C is almost non-existent in animal foods. The highest food sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables
- Vitamin C is an important co-factor for transformation and utilisation of many of the other vitamins
- Vitamin C plays a role in hundreds of metabolic processes in the body
What Increases the Need for Vitamin C?
- Alcohol consumption
- Smoking
- Stress
- Viruses
- Infections
- Heavy metal contamination
- Taking of pharmaceutical medications
- Exposure to toxins
What is Vitamin C Good For?
- Vitamin C promotes collagen production which maintains healthy skin and blood vessels, and effective wound healing
- Vitamin C is important for good adrenal health
- Vitamin C promotes healthy gums
- Vitamin C improves immunity
- Vitamin C is a good antioxidant i.e it assists in "mopping up" free radicals in the body that cause tissue damage
- Vitamin C aids detoxification
- Vitamin C aids the metabolism and conversion of other nutrients, such as tryptophan and tyrosine, into "feel good" neurotransmitters that are important for mental and emotional well-being
- Vitamin C is good for cardiovascular health issues such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis
- Vitamin C may assist in relieving constipation. Higher dosages of vitamin C can cause the stools to become loose
Good Food Sources of Vitamin C Amla, acerola cherries, citrus, berries, quavas, persimmons, kiwifruit, oranges, capsicum, tomatoes, broccoli, onions, leafy greens, peas, brussel sprouts, cabbage, parsley and sprouted seeds.
If the dietary sources of vitamin C are inadequate or the body's vitamin C requirements are increased due to contributing factors as mentioned previously, Power of Nature recommends all-natural, food-state Vitamin C supplements.