Sailors in the 1700s who developed scurvy from vitamin C deficiency certainly could have benefited from vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C supplements are used more today as antioxidants than to prevent scurvy. Antioxidants destroy free radicals, unpaired electrons that can damage cell DNA. Antioxidants may have value in preventing diseases such as cancer or heart disease. In many cases, vitamin C from food appears to have more benefit than vitamin C from supplements, MedlinePlus reports. Don't take vitamin C supplements without your doctor's approval.
Definition
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that must be obtained from food sources or supplements because your body can't manufacture it. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning your body doesn't store it and you need to ingest it every day to supply your needs. Vitamin C is found in a number of vegetables and fruits, so deficiencies are uncommon today. Getting vitamin C from food rather than supplements is preferable because food contains additional nutrients, notes MedlinePlus.
Requirements
Males aged 19 and over need 90 mg of vitamin C per day, while those between the ages of 14 and 18 need 75 mg. Both male and female children aged 9 to 13 need 45 mg per day, while those aged 4 to 8 need 25 mg per day. Boys and girls aged 1 to 3 need 15 mg. For children under 1 year, no recommended dietary intake has been established, but an adequate intake is 50 mg from 6 to 12 months and 40 mg from birth to 6 months. Girls 14 to 18 require 65 mg and women 19 and above need 75 mg. Smokers require 35 mg more vitamin C per day than non-smokers, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Pregnant women also need slightly more vitamin C, 80 mg for those under 19 and 85 for those over age 19.
Food Sources
Since a single orange supplies 70 mg of vitamin C and a cup of strawberries supplies 85 mg, getting your daily dose from food without taking supplements should not be difficult in most instances. People who consume the recommended five servings per day of fruits and vegetables will get around 200 mg per day, the Linus Pauling Institute reports.
Uses
MedlinePlus rates vitamin C as "possibly effective" for use in treating the common cold. If you have a cold, taking 1 to 3 g daily may shorten the duration of the cold by 1 to 1.5 days, the site suggests. Vitamin C will not prevent you from a getting a cold, however. Do not take doses this high without your physician's knowledge and approval. While vitamin C may have benefits in some diseases, such as for reducing the risk for certain types of mouth or breast cancer, only food containing vitamin C, not supplements, has benefit, MedlinePlus states.
Risks
Vitamin C supplements are generally considered safe in doses of less than 2,000 mg per day, according to the American Cancer Society. However, doses over 1,000 mg can cause cramping, diarrhea, nausea and heartburn and may increase your chance of developing kidney stones. Since vitamin C facilitates iron absorption, people who already have high iron levels, a condition known as hemochromatosis, should not take extra vitamin C without their physician's approval.
Member Comments