A Complete Look at Vitamin C

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Vitamins are organic (carbon containing) molecules that mainly function as catalysts for reactions within the body. Catalyst allows a chemical reaction to occur using less energy and less time than it would under normal conditions. Normal body functions can break down and make a person susceptible to disease if there is a vitamin deficiency since catalysts are missing. Vitamins are found in food, beverages and some are within our own bodies. Our bodies require tiny amounts.

Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid. Many have heard of this vitamin but few know why it is needed by the body. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver. Excess is excreted in urine and not usually associated with toxicity.

Vitamin C is vital in the production of collagen. Collagen is the most abundant of the fibers contained in connective tissues which give our body form and support our organs. Collagen is everywhere is the body. There are five different types of collagen.
• Type 1- Connective tissues of skin, bone, teeth, tendons, ligaments, fascia, organ capsules
• Type 2- Cartilage
• Type 3- Connective tissues of our organs (liver, spleen, kidneys, etc.)
• Type 4 and 5- the separating layer between epithelial and endothelial cells as well as between skeletal or smooth muscle cells

Vitamin C plays a role in the formation of collagen. When collagen is produced there is a complex series of events inside and outside the cell. Vitamin C is active inside the cell and it adds hydrogen and oxygen to two amino acids: proline and lysine. This helps form a precursor molecule called procollagen that is later packaged and modified into collagen outside of the cell. Collagen formation is disrupted without vitamin C and this can cause a wide variety of problems throughout the body.

Vitamin C also helps protect the fat-soluble vitamins like A and E as well as fatty acids from oxidation. Vitamin C prevents and cures the disease scurvy and can also be helpful in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia.

Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits and limes and in vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes and green peppers. It can be easily damaged during food preparation when being cooked, chopped, or submerged into water. Most foods however have enough vitamin C content that the quantity remains after processing is usually more than enough for a daily supply. Vitamin C is used as an inexpensive preservative in many processed foods making deficiencies even rarer.

The recommended daily allowance is 60-90 milligrams per day of Vitamin C. Men should consume more than women and smokers should also since smoking depletes vitamin C levels in the body. Smokers are encouraged to consume 35 more mg of vitamin C than the average adults. The average American gets about 72 mg a day.

Vitamin C supplements can be taken. The Food and Nutrition Board published a report in 2000 which set the upper intake levels for vitamin C at 2,000 mg a day for adults. This recommended dosage includes vitamin C obtained from both the consumption of food and supplements containing vitamin C.

A deficiency of vitamin C can cause a disease known as Scurvy. This disease is rarely seen today. It causes bleeding and inflamed gums, loose teeth, poor wound healing, easy bruising, bumps of coiled hair on the arms and legs, pains in the joints, muscle wasting and many other problems. Scurvy can be seen in alcoholics whose entire calorie intake is from alcohol. A Scottish physician named James Lind, advocated fresh vegetables and ripe fruits back in 1753 to prevent Scurvy. The British Navy adopted his advice some forty years later. As little as 5-7 mg of vitamin C a day can prevent Scurvy.

Nobel Iaureate Linus Pauling, PhD was a strong advocate of vitamin C. He believed high doses of vitamin C could cure and prevent colds, prolong the lives of terminal cancer patients, and prevent other ailments. Many animals produce their own vitamin C. Man, primates and guinea pigs do not have this ability which to him was their genetic flaw. His studies indicated an average adult needed about 10-12 grams of vitamin C daily to prevent many ailments.

Recent research reports that intakes of antioxidants like vitamin C can prevent and counteract cell damage due to aging and exposure to antioxidants. But studies have not proven vitamin C can prevent or cure chronic diseases. In same cases, at the onset of a cold, high dose of vitamin C has reduced the severity of the symptoms to a modest degree. Vitamin C has not been proven to prevent common colds. High doses have also not proved to be beneficial to cancer patients. Research done at the Mayo Clinic in a double blind trial revealed that those who received the vitamin C in the high dose actually did worse than those who got a placebo.

Just because vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin does not mean high doses are safe. It is best not to exceed the RDA of 2,000 mg a day. The most serious possible side effect of an intake above this may be diarrhea. It is a myth that vitamin C is an antioxidant. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant in some cases and an oxidant in others. Antioxidants inhibit chemical reactions with oxygen or highly reactive free radicals. These reactions can cause damage to cells.

Vitamin C is an important nutrient for human life and an important part of a healthy diet. It is not a proven miracle drug and should not be taken in excess. By eating a well-balanced diet you can receive more than enough vitamin C that your body needs.

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