How Does Vitamin C Work?

Your body requires Vitamin C for healthy tissue growth. This essential nutrient helps with the healing process and maintains the skeletal system. Your body flushes away Vitamin C daily, so eating citrus fruits and vegetables high in Vitamin C every day is important for fighting infections and living a healthy lifestyle. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends a daily intake of 13 to 100 mg of Vitamin C daily, depending upon your age, gender and whether you are pregnant or breast-feeding.

Digestion

You do not have to digest vitamin C for the intestinal cells to absorb it. Vitamin C absorbs in your stomach and small intestine, and then disperses to your other organs. According to "Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism," 70 to 95 percent of the Vitamin C your body gets from eating fruits and vegetables is absorbed and sent from the small intestine, through the capillaries and into the blood. Much of the vitamin C you ingest travels to your pituitary and adrenal glands, while smaller amounts go to your liver, heart, kidneys, spleen, lungs and pancreas.

Collagen

Vitamin C is important for many of your body's processes. You need it for synthesizing collagen, a protein that exists in your bones, skin, muscles and cartilage. Collagen strengthens the tissue that holds your body together. It relies upon vitamin C to maintain healthy skin, cartilage, bone and capillaries that aid in your ability to heal.

Carnitine

Carnitine is a compound found in the amino acid, lysine. Carnitine helps your body to metabolize fat, turning it into energy. Vitamin C aids in the transport of carnitine to your muscles, brain and heart. Carnitine is especially effective for preventing heart disease.

Brain Function

Vitamin C is essential for neurotransmitter synthesis, maintaining mineral and enzyme balance in your body. The neurotransmitters, norepinephrine and serotonin influence many of your brain functions. Your intestines, blood vessels and nervous system house these neurotransmitters.

Antioxidant

Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant in your blood and cells, reducing free radicals that attack proteins and nucleic acids. Free radicals are odd-numbered atoms that cause disease, cancer and aging. Vitamin C pairs up with the odd number of atoms, neutralizing the free radicals before they can damage the cells.

Deficiency

If you do not take in enough vitamin C every day, you run the risk of contracting scurvy. Scurvy results in bleeding gums, ruptured blood vessels, bruising, decaying teeth, bleeding and resistance to healing. Untreated scurvy leads to death.

The USDA suggests eating fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C every day to prevent a deficiency. The USDA recommended foods are cantaloupe, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, honeydew melon, kiwi fruit, mandarin orange sections, mango, orange juice, papaya, strawberries, tangerines, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, sweet green and red peppers and sweet potatoes.