Disclaimer: This series I meant for educational purposes only and should not be taken for diagnostic use.
Welcome back to nutrient spotlight. Today we'll be discussing vitamin C. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid is a micronutrient and water soluble vitamin. As a water soluble vitamin, vitamin C is readily available for absorption and use in tissues right after consumption. Our bodies require this nutrient for important processes such as building collagen in bone, wound healing, building blood vessels, and muscles. It also acts an antioxidant to protect against free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules (also known as reactive oxygen species) that are byproducts of a number of metabolic processes (eg. when food is broken down) or a result of environmental exposure to things like tobacco smoke etc. They are not all bad. Their main function is to act as signaling molecules to communicate the state of the cellular environment and elicit appropriate responses. Under normal circumstances homeostasis (balance) of these free radicals is maintained by appropriate antioxidant counteraction. On the contrary, without adequate antioxidant counteraction these free radicals can cause cellular damage and ultimately cause tissue dysfunction and disease.
Vitamin C sources include: citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, berries and peppers etc. Bell peppers (particularly the red ones) are actually quite high in vitamin C. Even more so than oranges (the poster child for vitamin C haha!). They boast about 159mg of vitamin C while oranges have about 70mg.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance for Vitamin C
Males: ~90mg/day
Females: ~75mg
Pregnant Women: 85mg
Lactating Women: 120mg
People are generally getting enough vitamin C and so deficiency is rare. Those at risk of deficiency include people who engage in smoking, have a limited diet that does not include sufficient fruits and vegetables, or have a gastrointestinal condition that prevents absorption of the nutrient etc. Severe vitamin C deficiency manifests as scurvy which results from loss of collagen that weakens connective tissues. Individuals who experience scurvy typically have weakened gums that result in swelling and bleeding and if left untreated typically results in loss of teeth. Vitamin C deficiency can also result in iron deficiency anemia because vitamin C is required for successful absorption of iron. Therefore without this vitamin, absorption of iron will be significantly limited. Additionally, with a vitamin C deficiency you'll find that wounds take longer to heal. Did you know that scurvy and the fact that it is a result of vitamin C deficiency was first discovered in sailors? Yes, they would spend months at sea and they would have bleeding gums and tooth loss until a surgeon in the navy decided to feed them lemons and it helped to restore health.
Supplementation: Since most people are consuming sufficient vitamin C, supplementation is usually not necessary. In fact, over consuming vitamin C will not provide any additional benefits as the body will excrete any excess of the vitamin in urine. This means once your cells have been saturated with the amount of vitamin C it needs what is remaining gets removed from the body. As a reminder, always consult your primary care physician to determine that you actually have a deficiency before taking vitamin C supplement.
A few facts about vitamin C
Vitamin C is very sensitive to heat so cooking at high heat or for a long time will cause you to lose vitamin C. Since it is water soluble, it will easily seep out into the cooking liquid, so drinking the liquid or using it as a broth will allow you to still have your vitamin C. Cooking with very little liquid is also recommended to circumvent this issue. Otherwise, short cooking methods, such as blanching are more appropriate for sources of vitamin C. Typically sources of this vitamin will provide the most vitamin C when eaten raw compared to the cooked version.
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