Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble nutrient that helps protect your body against the oxidative stress of pollutants and the byproducts of metabolism. It aids in the production of collagen, a protein that provides structure for blood vessels, tendons and ligaments, helps your body process the iron found in plant-based foods you eat and supports your immune system. Because it is water-soluble, you need to replenish your supply daily. Like many nutrients, however, too much vitamin C can have side effects, including flatulence.
Vitamin C in Your Daily Diet
Your body doesn't produce vitamin C, so you need to get it through the food you eat or through supplements. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health, the amount of vitamin C you need to take in daily depends on your age and your gender. Adult women need at least 75 mg per day, for example, while adult men need 90 mg. The Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center suggests a daily intake of 400 mg of vitamin C to combat chronic diseases, rather than the lower dose, which has been set to prevent deficiency conditions. A diet that includes at least five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day provides about 200 mg of vitamin C.
Flatulence
The Office of Dietary Supplements has set upper limits of 2,000 mg of vitamin C for adults, 1,800 mg for teenagers and lesser amounts for children, down to 400 mg for children from 1 to 3 years old. One possible side effect of an excess of vitamin C is flatulence. According to the Institutes of Medicine, this occurs because the intestines may not be able to adequately absorb the vitamin if ingested in quantities greater than about 1,000 mg per day, so the excess just degrades within the intestine. Besides flatulence, excess vitamin C can cause diarrhea and stomach cramps. These symptoms generally clear up if you just stop taking high dosage supplements of the vitamin.
Other Vitamin C Side Effects
Always tell your health-care provider if you're taking any supplements. Higher doses of vitamin C, for example, may interfere with cancer medications and blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin. It may also negatively impact people with hemochromatosis. Those with this condition already have an excess of iron in their bodies, and high doses of vitamin C could worsen that.
Vitamin C Deficiency
Vitamin C deficiency can also cause problems, including anemia, bleeding gums, tooth loss, joint pain and fatigue, though it would take a significant deficiency of vitamin C to cause the worst of these symptoms. The Linus Pauling Institute notes that many older people don't have enough of this essential vitamin in their system and are at even greater risk for chronic diseases caused by oxidative stress. If you smoke, have Crohn's or other malabsorption disorders or certain types of cancer, you may need more vitamin C than is usually recommended. This can be remedied by taking a vitamin C supplement.
Member Comments