Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin that performs various functions in your body. Most people know that it is essential for forming and maintaining connective tissue (e.g., skin, bones, blood vessels), but vitamin C does much more than that.
Vitamin C is an important factor in keeping your cardiovascular system healthy, helping to prevent heart attacks and strokes. It keeps the lining of the blood vessels, called the endothelial cells, healthy. Endothelial dysfunction is linked to arterial plaque formation; vitamin C helps prevent this dysfunction.
It also assists your body in keeping blood pressure, blood sugar, and lipid (aka cholesterol) levels at a healthy number. All these functions reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Still, vitamin C also assists in preventing a wide variety of conditions, from less severe illnesses such as the common cold to more severe diseases like age-related macular degeneration.
Cancer prevention and treatment is another health issue that vitamin C supplementation can address. Vitamin C decreases the amount of cellular DNA damage that leads to cancer formation, helping prevent the disease from establishing itself. It also has been shown to help kill cancer cells if they form and minimize the toxic effects of cancer treatments. High-dose vitamin C through IV is fast becoming a sought-after treatment therapy for cancer patients.
In addition to these functions, vitamin C supplements greatly aid your immune system, helping your body fight off various respiratory illnesses. High-dose vitamin C has been widely shown to diminish your symptoms and lessen the length of these respiratory illnesses. It can even help alleviate chronic asthma symptoms.
The incredible benefits of vitamin C are innumerable. It gives you increased iron absorption, reduces fatigue, improves eye health, and increases the fat-suppressing hormone Leptin. This makes vitamin C a powerful antioxidant that you need daily.
Luckily, there are many ways to introduce more vitamin C into your system. Getting your required amount is easy, from taking dietary supplements to eating more fruits and vegetables.
A wide variety of fruits and vegetables are good sources of vitamin C. Many citrus fruits like oranges, orange juice, limes, and lemons are well known for their vitamin C content. But citrus fruits are nowhere near the only foods rich in vitamin C. Apples, black currants, kiwis, guavas, and tomatoes also contain high amounts. Generally, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts are also excellent for vitamin C supplementation.
The recommended dietary allowance is 75 mg/day for women and 90 mg/day for men, which is enough to prevent disease. However, increasing your vitamin C intake will have many health benefits. We recommend at least 400 mg/day for optimal health and wellness. While it is technically possible for you to have too much, that only occurs once you ingest more than 2,000mg daily.
Taking a daily supplement is advised if you do not get enough Vitamin C in your diet. I also like to add the IV Meyers cocktail or a high-dose IV vitamin C treatment when you feel ill from a respiratory illness, are undergoing cancer treatment, or wish to optimize your overall health. I have found IV Vitamin C helpful before a stressful event such as travel or surgery.
Ingesting this great vitamin is one of many ways to benefit from it. Vitamin C treatments for the skin have a wide variety of benefits. These include hydration, sag and wrinkle prevention, promoting collagen production, fighting hyperpigmentation, and protection against sun damage, and vitamin C may even help your body with wound healing. If you’re noticing dry, wrinkly skin, using vitamin C serums on your skin will help you de-age.
Take care of your body, and it will take care of you. Whether you’re suffering from vitamin C deficiency or just looking for more ways to become your optimal self, vitamin supplementation is an incredible way to gain health. Take the time to give your body the necessary nutrients, exercise, sleep, and mental relaxation, and you will feel amazing. Take the time to make yourself feel the best you possibly can. You are worth it!