Vitamin C is also known as “ascorbic acid”. It is necessary for the development and proper functioning of many different parts of the body.
Interestingly, vitamin C was traditionally used for the prevention and treatment of scurvy. Of course, today we know it is most often a suggestion for fighting the common cold. This is because it plays a vital role in the maintenance of a functional immune system.
Vitamin C is a truly important nutrient that is required by the body. It’s a water-soluble nutrient that behaves as a strong antioxidant which is required in the building of scar tissue, cartilage and arteriole.
Where can you get vitamin C?
Of course, we’re all well-aware that oranges are a fantastic source of vitamin C, but there are other fruits and vegetables that can increase your daily dosage, too.
Foods like:
- Kiwi
- Dark leafy vegetables – spinach and swiss chard
- Tomatoes
- Strawberries
- Guava
- Yellow peppers
- Broccoli
You should incorporate these into your daily diet because the human body does not actually have the ability to produce its own vitamin C. Be warned, though, that you should cook these foods on very low heat, if at all. This is because vitamin C is particularly prone to breaking down at high temperatures and you could render your good intentions pointless. Therefore, it’s wise to purchase a high strength vitamin C supplement to simply take in the morning with a glass of water.
How to spot a vitamin C deficiency?
The symptoms of not getting enough (or any) vitamin C come in various forms. For example, weight loss, mood swings, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, inexplicable bruising, dry skin and hair. Additionally, some specific dental conditions.
As the deficiency persists, no new collagen can be formed and this causes the breakdown of tissues within the body. Finally, this impacts the repairs and replacement of cells. Hence why vitamin C was famously used to treat scurvy.
Benefits of Vitamin C
Let’s discuss the benefits of a regular high strength vitamin C dose.
1. Eases the common cold
One we’re all more than familiar with. Vitamin C genuinely does reduce the severity of both cold and flu symptoms. Namely, high doses of vitamin C have been proven to reduce the effects of the common cold such as the irritating blocked or runny nose.
What’s more, it not only reduces the horrible symptoms of a cold, but it reduces how long you have to endure them, too. Because it’s also a proven fact that vitamin C is an excellent vitamin for boosting your immune system.
In fact, in recent news, some scientists are suggesting that a dose of 200mg every day of vitamin C can be used to fight COVID-19. This is by no means a cure for the virus, but there is certainly no harm in taking an appropriate daily dose.
2. Lowers blood pressure
If you have high blood pressure, foods rich in vitamin C will be of great benefit to you. In cases of unusually high blood pressure, regular doses of vitamin C have been proven to help lower it.
Taking vitamin C alongside medication helps to lower systolic blood pressure. Granted, by small amounts, but this is better than none at all. Its thought that the vitamin acts as a diuretic, which removes excess fluid from within the body. Thus, this helps to remove the pressure on blood vessels.
3. Helps to relieve stress
Stress is something we all live with, every day and in different ways. Depending on how chronic and how severely we feel stress, it affects our bodies in weird and not-so-wonderful ways, too. Vitamin C is known to soothe a lot of both the physical and mental effects of stress.
A 1999 study in America showed how vitamin C actually reduces the level of stress hormones being released into the blood. What’s more, it also reduced other typical physical and mental signs of stress, such as enlarged adrenal glands, a shrunken thymus gland and spleen and overall weight loss.
4. Helps you to lose weight
Probably the benefit we’ve all been waiting for! Fat that sits on the abdomen (specifically, the fatty tissue inside or around your abdominal wall) responds to high strength vitamin C doses. In fact, regular vitamin C is essential for boosting your metabolism. Because vitamin C inhibits some glucose and lipid metabolic pathways as well as leptin secretions. And, in turn, this means your weight is kept in check.
That’s not to say a vitamin C supplement is the diet pill we’ve all been in search of our whole lives, more that a regular dose can give our bodies the best chance of keeping our metabolism running at a healthy rate.
5. Reduces wrinkles and improves your skin
Another fantastic benefit you probably wish you knew years ago! Collagen naturally occurs in the body and is responsible for about one-third of the protein found in your body. You need it for healthy joints and nice, supple skin. However, as we get older, we produce less collagen. Here, vitamin C steps in to play a vital role in the production of collagen.
What’s more, a compound called elastin protects and heals your skin cells, which thicken in the process. The levels of vitamin C you have in your body affects how often this process happens. Of course, you want it to happen frequently. Elastin is responsible for glowing skin.
Again, a high strength vitamin C supplement can keep wrinkles at bay and your skin looking luminous!
Whilst a pill won’t fix everything, it’s always a great idea to get the vitamins where you can from vitamin C-rich foods, so we’ve suggested some to get you started.
Here we’ve covered but a few benefits of vitamin C, but there are many, many others. If you’re looking for a supplement that will offer you stress relief, a glowing face with few wrinkles, help with your weight loss efforts, maintenance of healthy blood pressure and immunity to the common cold, then you’ve been able to get hold of it your entire life! But you probably never knew!
