If you are a man interested in improving your health, then you need to ensure that you are consuming optimal amounts of the essential vitamins each day. Vitamin C is one of the 13 essential vitamins that your body must get each day in order to function properly. Both men and women need vitamin C, but men require more each day.
Sources And Recommendations
The current daily recommendation for vitamin C is 90 mg for men according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Vitamin C is found in a variety of foods including berries, green peppers, red peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, spinach and citrus fruits and juices. Some breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamin C and it is present in supplements and multivitamins. Get the majority of your daily intake from food, but if you combine food and supplements the maximum intake per day is 2 g according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
Vitamin C Functions
Vitamin C is used by your body for a variety of functions. One major function is that it is an antioxidant that protects your body from free radical damage. Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation according to MedlinePlus. Vitamin C is also used in the production of collagen, which helps your body build healthy bones, teeth, gums and blood vessels. Vitamin C helps your body heal wounds, fight infections and may lessen the symptoms of a cold according to the Harvard School of Public Health. These functions are important to your health and are the reason that you should include vitamin C in your diet each day.
Vitamin C Deficiency
The Harvard School of Public Health states that vitamin C was first discovered in 1932 when it was noted that it could prevent scurvy. Scurvy is rare in the United States and is characterized by symptoms of general weakness, anemia, gum disease and skin hemorrhages. Scurvy is also known as vitamin C deficiency. It is most frequently seen in older malnourished adults and to prevent it, you need to consume vitamin C each day.
Considerations
Some men may need more vitamin C than others. If you are a burn victim or if you are recovering from surgery you may need some additional vitamin C to help your body heal. Men who smoke should add an extra 35 mg of vitamin C each day according to the Harvard School of Public Health. A daily multivitamin with vitamin C combined with a balanced diet that includes food sources of vitamin C is the best way to get the recommended dose each day.
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