Though best known simply as vitamin C, this vitamin is typically listed as ascorbic acid, L-ascorbic acid, or ascorbate. Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that aids in the body’s defense against free radicals, molecules that are produced when your body is exposed to harmful threats such as smoking, radiation, and X-rays. Some free radicals may be linked to diseases such as heart disease or cancer, as they can cause undesirable changes in proteins, lipids, and even DNA.

While most mammals can produce vitamin C naturally through blood sugar, humans lack the necessary enzymes to produce it naturally.

There are extensive benefits to vitamin C consumption. The best-known of these involves aiding the body’s immune system, but vitamin C can help prevent many other potentially devastating diseases and conditions.

Vitamin C can help your health by:

Reducing the Risk of Chronic Disease

Free radicals can negatively alter proteins, lipids, and acids like DNA, which can harm the body. Over time, this harm results in oxidative stress that has been connected to many inflammatory diseases like arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and more.

Managing High Blood Pressure

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death around the globe, and high blood pressure is just one risk factor for this dangerous disease. Research has shown that vitamin C can help relax blood vessels that help transport blood to and from the heart. Thus, it has a positive impact on both systolic and diastolic blood pressure values.

Reducing Gout Attacks

Uric acid is produced in the body as a form of waste. When there is an abundance of uric acid in the bloodstream, it collects and deposits in joints of the body, which can produce the painful form of arthritis known as gout. Consistent vitamin C intake has shown positive effects in the reduction of uric acid, helping to prevent bouts of gout.

Preventing Iron Deficiency

Iron helps to produce red blood cells and carry oxygen throughout the body. Vitamin C is useful in breaking down iron into a more absorbable form. For those who are consuming meatless diets, this can be particularly advantageous. Vitamin C is helpful in breaking down plant-based iron, which tends to be more difficult for the body to break down on its own.

Boosts Immunity

The body’s immunity is positively impacted by adequate levels of vitamin C. Through the encouragement of white blood cell production, the body creates better protection against infection. Vitamin C also helps to strengthen these cells, making them more resistant to free radical damage.

Aids Memory and Cognition

Oxidative stress on the central nervous system can increase the frequency of memory challenges and dementia as a person ages. Because vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, it aids in protecting the brain against oxidative stress, thereby improving memory and cognition.

There is a significant connection between vitamin C and your physical condition. Collagen is one of the main components of connective tissues within the body.

Many of the body’s fibrous tissues use collagen as a source of strength, such as:

However, the body needs vitamin C to produce collagen, and since the body cannot produce vitamin C on its own, dietary vitamin C and supplementation are necessary.

Vitamin C supports a body’s growth and development. This water-soluble nutrient also helps with the absorption of essential nutrients like iron. Unfortunately, the body does not naturally produce or retain vitamin C, meaning that the only way to get enough vitamin C is by consuming it. While many people can consume their daily dose of vitamin C by eating foods like oranges, strawberries, red peppers, or broccoli, others may suffer from food allergies, have limited access to these foods, or simply don’t like the taste. If this describes you, you will need to supplement your vitamin C intake.

75 milligrams is the recommended daily value of vitamin C for women. If pregnant, women should consume 120 milligrams. 90 mg is recommended for men.

There’s no doubt that vitamin C has many proven health benefits and is an essential nutrient. However, there still can be too much of a good thing.

The maximum amount of vitamin C a person should consume is 2000 milligrams per day.

If consumption rises above that, a person may experience vitamin C toxicity, which can result in some of the following side effects:

You should consume vitamin C daily to prevent low levels of this essential vitamin. However, signs of a true deficiency can take months to develop. There are many signs to look for if you‘re concerned about vitamin C deficiency.

These include:

Because vitamin C is not produced within the body, it must be consumed from other sources, most often from food. Two of the most susceptible groups that are impacted by low vitamin C consumption are those living below the poverty line. Financial difficulties can make it challenging to purchase healthy foods that provide much-needed vitamin C.

In addition, there are some diseases that prevent the proper absorption of nutrients into the body, impacting those that suffer from Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Other groups that are at a greater risk of vitamin C deficiency include smokers, those with unhealthy eating habits, “fad” dieters, senior citizens, and women who are pregnant or lactating.

Through a process called renal reabsorption, vitamin C in the blood is processed through the kidneys, preventing a loss of vitamin C through urine. However, the body does well at monitoring vitamin C intake and can successfully process excess amounts. The vitamin C the body retains can last for weeks, with small rations being released a little at a time.

Smoking, along with exposure to other pollutants, raises the risk of oxidative stress. This risk can be reduced by consuming antioxidants like vitamin C. Smokers also tend to keep less vitamin C in their systems because the body is constantly drawing on its reserves to fight oxidative stress. Additionally, smokers tend to experience more inflammation throughout the body, specifically in the mouth, throat, and lungs. On average, it is recommended that those who smoke should consume an extra 35 mg of vitamin C every day.

The answer really depends on the processing and storage method used, as well as the type of food or supplement involved. Exposure to UV light, heat, oxygen, and alkaline conditions all have an impact on how vitamin C will hold up in a product. The longer a product is exposed to these elements, the greater the negative impact on vitamin C levels.

The pasteurization process can also impact vitamin C levels. Milk, for instance, is a highly pasteurized product that does not contain any vitamin C. This is not because milk does not naturally contain any vitamin C, but because the process of destroying bacteria in milk also destroys key components of vitamin C. Conversely, the brief pasteurization process employed for orange and other fruit juices does not appear to impact vitamin C levels.

Foods that are frozen or stored cold, such as some fruits and vegetables, tend to retain their vitamin C levels in storage. Freezing foods kills enzymes that would otherwise destroy this essential nutrient while cooling foods helps to retain the integrity of ascorbic acid. A similar process is used in many canning processes where heat is used to kill enzymes.

The short answer is yes. While it is not highly recommended for infants, vitamin C supplementation can provide many benefits to growing children. As children develop, they can build a great foundation with vitamin C as it helps to boost their collagen levels, blood vessel strength, cartilage foundation, and muscle tissue. These are important aspects of a child’s growth and health.

In addition to helping support their growing physical bodies, vitamin C can also help produce neurotransmitters, which are the chemicals that interact with the nervous system. A child’s development can be significantly supported with the addition of vitamin C.

Vitamin C that is in supplemental form is purer than food-based vitamin C. While the supplement itself may be included in a multivitamin, the ascorbic acid is not combined with any other compounds. Conversely, vitamin C consumed via food products is accompanied by sugar, an indigestible carbohydrate. Consuming all your vitamin C via orange juice, for example, may result in the consumption of more sugar than necessary.

However, the form of vitamin C that is consumed does not change its impact. The human body does not discern a difference between natural vitamin C and synthetic because they are identical in their molecular makeup.

There are many available products on the market that bolster the immune system and contain vitamin C. However, there are some key factors that may influence which may be best for you. Choose only high-quality supplements that contain active ingredients and avoid products that use fillers, binders, added sugar, flavors, and dyes. These types of ingredients do not add value to the product but may actually reduce the quality of the product by reducing the cost of manufacturing.

Be sure to read the label and find the supplements that provide the ingredients that are important to you. Vitamin C supplements are a wise choice to promote a positive, more healthy you.