Nature’s Way Of Building A Healthy Body.

Of all the vitamins out there, Vitamin C, seems to be the best known. As soon as you mention vitamin C, we naturally think of oranges, as this is what we have been taught about this vital vitamin. Oranges, are one source however, naturally occurring vitamin c is found in berries, grapes, kale, broccoli, and a host of other fruits/vegetables However, is there more to vitamin C, than the association with oranges and how is it beneficial for us?

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin, hence, some supplements, will ask you to add it to water, before taking. 

More importantly, our bodies cannot store vitamin C, so, we need a regular daily supply, to maintain healthy levels. In days gone by, sailors, who were at sea for months on end, would suffer from vitamin c deficiency, otherwise known as scurvy, not a pleasant illness. However, it is very rare to get scurvy in today’s world, but we can have low levels, which require topping up.

There are a number of uses of vitamin c in our bodies:

• Production of collagen, which maintains healthy connective tissue.
• Help support tissues and organs, including the skin and bones
• Vitamin C, increases the amount of iron we can absorb.
• As an Antioxidant, to protect against harmful free radicals, toxins and pollutants. 

However, by taking large dosages of vitamin c once per day, is not efficient, as our bodies will excrete the unabsorbed amount via the urine. Somehow, we need to have a regular supply during the whole day, to maintain healthy levels.

Blood serum levels of vitamin C as a function of time after the subjects ingested a single 5 g dose of vitamin C.