Vitamin C - Ascorbates and Health
Vitamin C, Ascorbic Acid, L-ascorbate, is an essential nutrient - another member of the water-soluble vitamins. The others are the B complex vitamins. It was first isolated in 1928 by Dr. Szent-Gyorgyi a Hungarian biochemist and Nobel Prize winner. The presence of ascorbate is uniquely important for health and wellbeing.
It is required for essential metabolic reactions in all animals and plants and is made internally by almost all organisms except for higher primates, and a very small number of other species. It is widely known as the anti-scurvy vitamin.
The primary function of vitamin C is collagen formation, a protein necessary for the formation of connective tissue in bones, teeth, cartilage, muscle, skin and blood vessels. It also aids in the formation of red blood cells, helps the immune system to fight bacterial infections and reduce the effects of many allergy producing substances. It is an important nutrient in healing of wounds as it speeds up the healing process. Although vitamin C is very stable in acid solution it is the least stable of vitamins and very sensitive to oxygen. Potency is lost quickly when exposed to air, light and heat.
Vitamin C has a close and significant relationship with many other nutrients. It is important in the metabolism of some amino acids such as tyrosine and phenylalanine. It protects other vitamins such as Vitamin A, vitamin E, thiamine, folic acid, pantothenic acid and riboflavin from oxidation and converts folic acid - inactive form- to the active form, folinic acid. When taken trough diet or supplements the levels of vitamin C in the blood will reach maximum in approximately two to three hours after ingestion and will be out of the body in three to four hours later through urine and perspiration.
The National Research Council recommends 60mg/day of vitamin C for adults. However, a research team at the National Institutes of Health in USA just recently concluded, at the completion of their study, that minimum should be raised to 200mg/day. They also found it is best if vitamin C was taken in divided doses throughout the day since exceeding 500 mg of individual doses urinary excretion also increases. Those 200mg of vitamin C can be obtained daily from a diet that includes five servings of fresh fruit and vegetables; unfortunately less than 20% of the population does so.
While 200 mg/day may be sufficient to maintain the health status in healthy, young person, such a relatively low intake is far from adequate for older and sick people. Symptoms and signs of inadequate amounts of C are bleeding gums, swollen and painful joints, tendency to bruising, anemia, lower resistance to infections, poor lactation and slow healing of wounds and fractures. Severe deficiency results in scurvy.
Vitamin C Dietary Sources
Dietary sources of vitamin C include orange, red, and green fruits and vegetables, particularly citrus, strawberries, guava and papaya. Half a red bell pepper provides 60mg of vitamin C, the RDA, as does a half a cup of broccoli. The need for vitamin C increases with age as there is greater need to generate collagen. Supplemental C can be of aid with older people because of increased need, if the diet is not supplying adequate amounts, and during illness to support the immune system
Reports from research that supports the usefulness of vitamin C include:
The use of intravenous or oral vitamin C it has benefit in some cases cancer therapy.
Vitamin C improves oral absorption of iron and may aid in the absorption of iron dietary supplements. Research on vitamin C also reports that daily low-dose vitamin C 45mg or more may reduce the risk of death from stroke. Additional research is merited in these areas.
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