Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, occurs naturally in many foods. It is sometimes used as a food additive too. Ascorbic acid is an essential vitamin for good health, but your body cannot manufacture it. You must obtain ascorbic acid from the food you eat or by taking supplements. Water soluble, excess ascorbic acid is excreted through your urine. You must replenish your supply daily. Before taking supplements, discuss the issue with your physician.
Benefits
Your body uses ascorbic acid to heal itself, create skin, form blood vessels and build strong teeth, bones and muscles. A vitamin C deficiency can cause a potentially deadly but rare condition called scurvy, which causes lethargy, gum disease and anemia, or a decreased red blood cell count. Although vitamin C is also associated with preventing the common cold, this has not been proven. It may provide some relief by shorten your suffering from cold symptoms. According to MayoClinic.com, vitamin C may reduce cold durations by 15 percent for children and 10 percent for adults.
Natural
Ascorbic acid is found in nearly all fruits and vegetables. Foods especially high in ascorbic acid include citrus fruits such as oranges and pineapples, cantaloupe, broccoli, green peppers, red peppers, Brussels sprouts and tomatoes. Ascorbic acid levels in food tend to decrease as storage time increases. Also, since ascorbic acid is water soluble, your cooking method will also affect how much vitamin C remains in your food. According to the National Institutes of Health, cooking food in the microwave or steaming vegetables may reduce the loss of ascorbic acid.
Additives
Grains are not a natural source of ascorbic acid, yet you will find that it is often listed as an ingredient in many grain products, such as cereal. Although it is a natural ingredient in fruit juice, manufacturers often add ascorbic acid to artificial fruit drinks. Ascorbic acid is also used as an ingredient in processed or cured meat. It helps meat retain a fresh-looking, red color.
Dosing
The recommended daily dietary intake for ascorbic acid in adult men is 90 mg and 75 mg for women. Pregnant women should increase that intake to 85 mg per day and breast-feeding mothers should strive for 120 mg daily. The NIH recommends that you increase your daily intake by an additional 35 mg a day if you are a smoker.
Concerns
You may safely take up to 2,000 mg of ascorbic acid per day. Taking more than 2,000 mg per day can make you feel nauseous or cause diarrhea and abdominal cramping. Ascorbic acid helps your body better absorb iron. It is possible that ingesting too much ascorbic acid can cause you to have too much iron in your blood. This almost never occurs in healthy individuals.
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