Vitamin C Benefits for the Body

Vitamins and Minerals

Hi, everyone! I’m super excited to share that I’m introducing a new segment on my blog called, “Vitamins and Minerals”. I can’t wait to share all the goodies I have on these essential nutrients. I’m not sure how often these blogs will be popping up yet, but go ahead and keep an eye out for them. I’ll be saving all of these posts to my, “Vitamins and Minerals” tab on my homepage for easy access. In this specific post, I’ll be going over the benefits of Vitamin C and what it does for our body. If your looking for a good Vitamin C supplement, check out GNC.com.

Vitamin C

The first vitamin I wanted to write about is one of my favorites, vitamin C. I truly believe this vitamin contains some special type of magic or voodoo. I use it daily both in the form of food and sometimes as a tablet. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin and will leave the body quickly, so a daily intake is important. I’m going to run through some of its main functions to give you guys an idea of what this sucker can do.

Functions

•  Development and repair of all tissues in the body
•  Its a potent antioxidant
•  Forms collagen
•  Absorbs iron
•  Aids the immune system
•  Helps protect against free radicals
• Maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.

Benefits

See Ya Colds!

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps reduce the duration of colds and other viral infections. It boosts our immune system, which is the body’s defense against infectious invaders. Vitamin C helps produce white blood cells which protect against infections. They also help those white blood cells function more efficiently. I will get to this a little bit more below, but it strengthened out skin barriers. Keeping our skin barriers strong, helps keep infectious organisms out of the body. Check out my, “See Ya Cold Symptoms!” post for more information on how to get rid of colds.

Glowing Skin

Vitamin C helps protect against skin damage by producing collagen and neutralizing free radicals. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study that researched the link between skin aging and nutrient intakes. In 4,025 women aged 40-74 it was found that higher vitamin C intakes were associated with lower occurrence of wrinkles, skin dryness, and poor skin-aging appearance (Zelman, 2019).

I’m Seeing Clearly Now

Since vitamin C is an antioxidant, it helps protect the eyes from free radicals that attack the eyes. It is thought to be especially important in preventing cataracts.

More Benefits…

• Wound healings
• Lowers the risk of chronic disease
•  Lowers the risk of osteoporosis
•  Increases fertility
•  Protects memory and thinking as you age
•  Reduces stress
• Lowers high blood pressure

Where to Find It?

•  Black currants
• Mango
• Oranges
• Green bell peppers
•  Cabbage
•  Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Broccoli
• Grapefruit
• Lime
• Lemon

There are many more sources of vitamin C, but I listed some of the top sources.

Recommended Daily Allowance

Adults need between 65 to 90 mg of vitamin C a day. It is would be difficult to consume too much of this vitamin since it is water soluable. Our bodies dissolve this vitamin and release it from our body, so daily intake is necessary. If mega doses of this vitamin was consumed your body might experience some nausea and diarrhea. Make sure to get your daily intake of Vitamin C to obtain all the benefits it can provide your body.

References

(2017). The vitamins & minerals bible: miracle foods to boost your health. London: Hamlyn.

Zelman, K. M. (n.d.). Vitamin C Benefits, Sources, Supplements, & More. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-benefits-of-vitamin-c#1