It is relatively easy to consume the proper amount of vitamin C, but it is important to monitor because of negative health effects if you don't get enough. At the same time, because it is so abundant you could overdo it, and too much may not be a good thing.
The Age Factor
The amount of vitamin C that you need daily in your diet depends on your age bracket. The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements gives a breakdown: young children need between 15 and 45mg, teens need between 65 and 75mg, adults need between 75 and 80mg, and breastfeeding women need 120mg. Smokers need to add 35mg. Many fruits and vegetables such as oranges, mangoes, grapefruits, strawberries and peppers are rich in vitamin C.
Benefits
Having enough vitamin C in your diet is vital because of the significant role it plays in keeping your body healthy. Dr. William Sears, a nationally recognized pediatrician, discusses the benefits of vitamin C on your overall health: It increases your white blood cell count, fighting off infection; it fortifies your cell coatings, barring entry to viruses; it lowers blood pressure and raises the levels of good cholesterol in your body, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease; and it may reduce the risk of developing prostate, colon and breast cancer.
Risks of Too Little
The main problem with not getting enough vitamin C is that you lose all of the benefits and open your body to a host of infections and viruses from which you could otherwise shield yourself. However, most people do get some vitamin C from a standard diet without putting in too much thought and calculation. In drastic cases, people who fail to consume even a standard amount of vitamin C can develop a disease called scurvy, which can leave you tired and depressed and cause purple skin spots, joint pain and poor wound healing. Left untreated, it could also be fatal.
Risks of Too Much
For most people, having too much vitamin C in your diet will not cause any harm; eating a healthy diet will typically yield an above necessary quantity. In this case, the body absorbs what it needs and the remainder gets flushed out. Katherine Zeratsky, a dietitian with the Mayo Clinic, recommends 2,000mg as the limit for a normal vitamin C intake for an adult. Unnaturally high doses of vitamin C can cause nausea, vomiting, insomnia, headaches, abdominal cramps and kidney stones.
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