What Are the Potential Benefits of Vitamin C?
Vitamin C, or L-ascorbic acid, is particularly well-known for its capacity to support the immune system. However, vitamin C’s potential to help reduce cold symptoms merely touches the surface of what this vitamin does for the body.
Beyond supporting your immune system, there are numerous ways that vitamin C can potentially benefit you. Here, we’ll cover some of the advantages of vitamin C, proper usage, and more.
Understanding Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient that can only be received through food or supplements because the body can’t create it independently.
For women, a daily dose of 75 mg is recommended; for men, 90 mg of vitamin C is advised. However, dosage depends on a few factors, so consult a doctor before taking any kind of vitamin C supplement. For adults, the highest quantity that is safe to consume daily, known as the tolerated upper intake level, is 2,000 mg.
Vitamin C is present in various food sources, such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach, potatoes, citrus fruits, and red peppers.
Even though getting your vitamin C from food is generally recommended, many people use supplements, such as powders to mix with water, chewable tablets, and capsules.
Vitamin C’s Role in the Body
Researchers have discovered many potential vitamin C benefits for vital processes within the body, including:
- It can help the body synthesize L-carnitine, collagen, and some neurotransmitters.
- It can help eliminate reactive oxidative species (undesirable chemicals) from the body.
- It can help with iron absorption by the body.
- It can support the immune system.
- It may help increase the speed at which wounds heal.
Skin Health and Vitamin C
Collagen production tends to decrease with age, giving rise to wrinkles and other telltale signs of aging. When vitamin C is present, your body may actually produce collagen more readily.
Vitamin C can also help support skin suppleness and enhance the skin’s general appearance. As an antioxidant, vitamin C, whether ingested or applied topically via creams and serums, can potentially help mitigate skin damage.
Immune System Support
When free radical molecules build up excessively, it can result in what is called oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a phenomenon caused by an imbalance between the production and accumulation of oxygen-reactive species in cells and the ability to detoxify. Vitamin C can help improve immune cell performance and reinforce the skin’s barrier.
It has been demonstrated that a vitamin deficit may raise the risk of infections. If you start sniffling, taking vitamin C won’t likely prevent you from developing a cold, but it might help speed up recovery.
Antioxidant Properties
We already know that one of the vitamin C benefits is that it has antioxidant properties. Incorporating it into your daily diet via foods it is found that it might lower your risk of heart disease and maintain or raise antioxidant levels. Hence, low vitamin C levels can lead to weakened immunity and increased infection vulnerability.
Key Takeaways on Vitamin C’s Benefits
It’s crucial to remember that vitamin C can support your immunity, healing, and general health. You can get the recommended quantity of vitamin C if you consume an abundance of fruits and vegetables daily. Additionally, incorporating supplements like our CDZ Immune Support Supplement into your daily routine can help increase your vitamin C intake.
