What is Vitamin C?


Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid), is an essential vitamin because your body can not produce it. So you need to get vitamin C from your diet. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits like, lemons and oranges. It is also available in vegetables as broccoli, spinach and tomatoes. The Recommended Dietary Allowances of vitamin C is 75-90 mg a day for adults, so you need to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables in order to get the RDA. Vitamin C is water-soluble, it is not stored in the body and the excess amount of it will be excreted through the urine. Since it is not practical for most people to consume the required servings of fruits and vegetables needed on a consistent basis. Therefore, it is recommended to take dietary supplements of Vitamin C 500 mg. Vitamin C has many benefits: It supports the immune system. It is a strong antioxidant that neutralize free radicals, which are harmful substances that cause damage to cells and tissues. It stimulates collagen synthesis. It enhancethe absorption, metabolism, and utilization of other nutrients, such as folate, calcium, and iron. It promotes healing of wounds. Vitamin C also plays a role in neurotransmitter synthesis and cognitive function. However, deficiency of vitamin C can lead to the following: Bleeding gums, easy bruising, impaired wound and fracture healing, joint pain and swelling, fatigue and bone pain and fractures. Intakes of less than 10 mg per day of vitamin C can result in scurvy, which can lead to anemia, debility, exhaustion, spontaneous bleeding, pain in the limbs, and especially the legs, swelling in some parts of the body, and ulceration of the gums and loss of teeth.