What Are The Pros Of Taking Vitamin C?

Since the body does not normally produce vitamin C on its own, it is essential that you ingest it through your diet. You can derive your daily quota from fresh, raw foods like fruits and vegetables. The best sources are green peppers, oranges, grapefruits, juice, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, white potatoes and cantaloupe. Other decent sources include papayas, mangoes, watermelon, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, winter squash, red peppers, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries and pineapples. Cooking often destroys much of the vitamin content in foods, especially when boiled, yet steaming can minimize the loss. Twenty-five percent of the vitamin content is lost when freezing and unthawing fruits or vegetables too, so great care should be taken to intake at least one rich source each day.

You might need extra of the C vitamin if you’re a smoker or a drinker, if you have a virus or fever, if you’re extremely stressed all the time, if you are taking antibiotics or cortisone or if you’re exposed to environmental toxins like lead, mercury or cadmium. This vitamin aids in the formation of collagen and other connective tissues. It takes an active role in maintaining healthy blood vessels, healing wounds, producing thyroid hormones, metabolizing folic acid and tryptophan, as well as regulating the excretion of stress hormones like norepinephrine and epinephrine. Without this vitamin, we’d have a hard time regulating proper iron and calcium absorption.

Generally, you need at least 40 mg of vitamin C each day. Without the proper amount of this vitamin, calcium levels may be way too high or the converse may happen, causing a calcium deficiency. If calcium becomes insoluble, then a build-up occurs and soft tissues becomes calcified, which speeds up the aging process. If there is too little calcium, then leg cramps, fatigue, joint pain, gastrointestinal problems and anxiety may occur. In addition to regulating our calcium intake, the C vitamin also keeps our levels of copper and zinc reasonably low.

Not only is vitamin C a key in maintaining healthy bones, it is also part of aging healthily, by being protected from inflammatory diseases, skin disorders and immune system failure. You can find a number of products containing this vitamin, including skin rejuvenation creams, wrinkle creams and acne washes. Additionally, this vitamin and calcium supplements claim to help regulate biochemical processes for a stronger, happier you.