Vitamin C & Hypoglycemia

Vitamin C & Hypoglycemia
Photo Credit Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Taking the recommended daily dose of vitamin C reduces your risk of developing a cold by about 50 percent, MayoClinic.com notes. Aside from boosting your immune system, vitamin C also helps your body form collagen for bones, cartilage, muscles and blood vessels. Vitamin C helps facilitate the absorption of iron. A study published in a 2007 issue of “The Indian Journal of Medical Research” found that taking vitamin C daily also helped reduce blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetics.

Hypoglycemia Symptoms and Causes

Hypoglycemia is a condition that occurs when your blood sugar drops below normal levels. Symptoms commonly associated with hypoglycemia include headache, excessive sweating, blurred vision, dizziness and impaired coordination, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. If left untreated, hypoglycemia can cause serious symptoms such as seizures, heart palpitations and coma. Hypoglycemia sometimes results from critical organ failure as well as hormone deficiencies and conditions such as diabetes.

Vitamin C Causes Hypoglycemia

Taking 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily helps decrease fasting blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetics, according to a study published in the November 2007 issue of “The Indian Journal of Medical Research.” However, the results also showed that taking 500 milligrams did not produce any significant change. This suggests that vitamin C may help reduce the risk of complications stemming from Type 2 diabetes. More research is needed to determine what other factors affect vitamin C’s ability to reduce blood sugar levels and whether higher doses will cause hypoglycemia.

Recommended Dietary Allowance

The recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C for adults is 90 milligrams per day for men over the age of 18. Women of the same age group need about 75 milligrams daily. The tolerable upper intake limit for vitamin C among adults is 2,000 milligrams per day. Children between the ages of 1 and 13 need 15 to 45 milligrams per day. The tolerable upper intake limit for children of that age group is between 650 and 1,200 milligrams daily.

Hypoglycemia Treatment

Treating hypoglycemia immediately is paramount in order to lower risk of developing long-term conditions. Drinking or eating something sweet such as fruit juice or bread is one possible way of elevating deficient blood sugar levels, the University of Maryland Medical Center explains. Drug therapies like oral or intravenous glucose are other ways of treating hypoglycemia. Seek immediate medical attention even after first aid hypoglycemia treatments have alleviated symptoms to avoid potential adverse reactions.

References

Article reviewed by S.C. Ville Last updated on: Sep 29, 2011

Must see: Photo Galleries

Member Comments