VitC

Vitamin C - From Head to Toe!

Vitamin C is without doubt the most well known of the Vitamins and is available in just about every form imaginable, from orange juice to pills, powders, fortified foods, and even moisturiser, so we are all aware that it is beneficial, but few are aware of just how many essential body processes cannot be carried out effectively without it.

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, as it is also known, was first isolated from lemons in 1932, although in the 1700's James Lind discovered that limes, or the juice of, could be used as an effective prevention or treatment for scurvy, thus resolving the debilitating disease that had been affecting the British Navy for so long.

Many hundreds of years previously we would have obtained our entire Vitamin C requirement from fruit and vegetables. Alongside primates and guinea pigs, we are unable to synthesize the vitamin within our bodies and so with a poor diet depletion can be common.

The Recommended Daily Intake in the UK is currently (1989) set at 60 mg. This is the equivalent of eating one average size, freshly picked, organic orange per day. Many television programs and reports recently, such as Channels 4's 'You Are What You Eat' have shown have that unfortunately many people do not eat one orange a week, never mind daily.

Vitamin C is easily lost from food, by the way it is cooked or prepared, but also by the way it is stored and transported. The vitamin C content of a food starts to decrease from the minute it is picked; the fruit and vegetables you can buy in your local supermarket have often been shipped half way round the world with periods of storage in several distribution centres before it gets to your trolley.

This is partly the reason that we have come to rely on supplementation as a way of ensuring a healthy level of vitamin C in the body; but just what does all the vitamin C do?

Collagen - Collagen is the glue that holds us all together! Collagen is connective tissue that is found in all parts of the body from skin, to internal organs, teeth and bones. Vitamin C activates the enzyme that is involved in a chemical reaction within the cells in the body, called hydroxylation, with lysine and proline to form procollagen which is then modified outside the cell into collagen. Because of the wear and tear on the body this is a continual renewal process which cannot take place without vitamin C.

Immune system - Vitamin C helps to increase the white blood cell count, which helps our bodies to fight infection. From the vast amount of research available on the internet it seems clear that although you cannot prevent a cold you can certainly reduce its severity with high doses of vitamin C (1000-2000mg) regularly through the day as soon as you feel the cold coming on. A reasonable supplementation level throughout the year will give your immune system an overall boost.

Brain - Tryptophan, which is introduced into the body from sources such as poultry and bananas, is converted in the body by Vitamin C to 5-HTP (5-hydroxytrytophan). This then forms serotonin, a brain chemical that sends calming messages between brain cells. This helps control mood, appetite and can treat insomnia. A deficiency of Vitamin C in the elderly can pronounce the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. This seems to be because Vitamin C is an antioxidant and goes around the body (along with Vitamin E) helping to mop up the free radicals that can damage the cells and progress the disease.

Eyes - By the age of 85, 95% of people will have suffered with cataracts, and many will have had invasive surgery to have them removed. It is believed that, caught at a relatively early stage, the development of cataracts can be reversed simply by amending your diet. Your eyes are subject to attack by free radicals along with rest of the body, and it is this that causes the formation of the cataract; by increasing your intake of vitamin C to a therapeutic dose you can protect your eyes. Taking around 2 grams of Vitamin C a day can also help reduce eye pressure in people suffering from glaucoma; Vitamin C does not cure the condition but may help to alleviate it as long as the supplementation is kept up.

Heart - One of the most important actions of Vitamin C is to help protect LDL cholesterol from damage. Until it has been oxidised LDL cholesterol does not appear to cause heart disease. Optimum levels of Vitamin C have also been shown to decrease the stickiness of blood platelets, making them less likely to form clots. It can also help to keep the artery walls flexible, allowing easy blood flow.

Digestion - Levels of Vitamin C have been shown to be very low in people suffering from the infection Helicobacter Pylori, which can lead to the development of peptic ulcers or stomach cancer.
Vitamin C can also be a useful natural laxative, as many people have discovered by accidentally overdosing on the orange juice one day!

Scurvy - Scurvy is the deficiency disease of Vitamin C, its symptoms are bleeding gums, bruising, painful joints, internal bleeding, and your teeth falling out. Even though the level of Vitamin C required to avoid this illness is so low, surprisingly people do still develop it. The elderly can be at risk through eating a diet devoid of fruit and vegetables and food that is of poor nutritional value. Some alcoholics develop it if their main calorific intake is just from alcohol with poor eating habits.

In conclusion, it seems that Vitamin C is essential to everyday life and that a daily optimum level is around 1000mg, although this may be higher if you are trying to treat a certain condition. Your personal circumstances can also dictate the amount you will require, smokers will require an additional allowance as each cigarette is thought to remove around 25mg of Vitamin C from the body. Illness, prescription and recreational drugs, stress and alcohol can also all increase your need. The way to determine the level of Vitamin C that your body requires is to gradually increase the dose to bowel tolerance level.

It is also essential to note that Vitamin C cannot work as an antioxidant on its own; it needs to be combined with other antioxidants, such as Vitamin E for maximum effect. The effects of vitamin C are also maximised by ensuring good levels of bioflavonoids in the body. Good sources of these also include many fruits, and they are also a highly effective antioxidant.