Vitamin C is an essential vitamin. It has many roles and has been linked to impressive health benefits. It’s water-soluble and found in many fruits and vegetables, including oranges, strawberries, kiwi fruit, bell peppers, broccoli, kale, and spinach. The recommended daily intake for vitamin C is 75 mg for women and 100 mg for men. While it’s commonly advised to get your vitamin C intake from foods, many people turn to supplements to meet their needs. Here are some very important scientifically-proven benefits of consuming vitamin C.
Benefits of Vitamin C
- Vitamin C is needed for the synthesis of collagen, an important structural component of connective tissue, blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, gums, skin, teeth, and bones. It’s vital in supporting younger-looking skin and lowers the risk of skin sagging.
- Vitamin C is also a backbone in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, ‘norepinephrine’ which is critical to brain function and known to affect mood.
- It is known that vitamin C plays an essential role in strengthening immune function, which might get hampered due to lack of nutrition.
- Vitamin C is a highly effective antioxidant. Even in small amounts vitamin C can help protect essential molecules in the body, such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) from damage by free radicals that can be generated during normal metabolism as well as through exposure to toxins and air pollutants i.e. smoking.
It is found that vitamin C is also capable of regenerating other antioxidants such as vitamin E
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which provides scientific advice to assist policy makers, has confirmed the following health benefits that have been established for the dietary intake of vitamin C in contributing to:
- Helps in the protection of cell constituents from free radicals
- Boosts collagen formation and support the normal function of blood vessels, skin, bones, cartilage, gums, and teeth
- Aids in the increase of non-heme iron (found in plant-based foods) absorption
- Promotes the normal function of the nervous system
- Improves immunity
- Helps in the maintenance of the normal function of the immune system during and after intense physical exercise
- Supports the regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E
- Helps in the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Hope this article helps you understand the benefits of Vitamin C better and we hope that you make it a point to include it in your daily diet! You can find the various sources of Vitamin C here.
Last modified: February 8, 2021