Vitamin C or Ascorbic acid- Health benefits, For skin, hair, Sources, Deficiency, Scurvy, Diseases, Dosage, Side-effects.

What is Vitamin C or ascorbic acid?

Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid and a water-soluble vitamin which means our body can’t store this vitamin for the future. It can come out through urine and sweat from the body that is why you have to take the dose of this vitamin on a daily basis.

Health benefits of Vitamin C or ascorbic acid:

• Vitamin C or ascorbic acid boosts collagen in our body that improves the quality of our hair, skin, muscle, and other tissues. People who have a lower intake of vitamin c may experience slower wound healing because their bodies will not produce collagen in the required amount.
• Vitamin C helps in the absorption of iron. People who have lower levels of vitamin c may experience a deficiency of iron.
• Vitamin C is also an immunity builder vitamin. That boosts the production of white blood cells in our body and protects our body from any infection.
• Some studies prove that Vitamin C improves semen quality. If you take the required dose of vitamin c daily, it will increase sperm motility and sperm count.

But one thing you always have to keep in your mind vitamin c can only shorten the time of illness. If you start taking vitamin c when you already have symptoms of a cold, It doesn’t show any effect on your cold.

Fruits and vegetable sources of food That are rich in vitamin C:

• Citrus fruits such as oranges.
• Broccoli.
• Cauliflower.
• Kiwi
• Papaya.
• Sweet potato
• Strawberries.
• Tomatoes.
• Red, Green, Yellow bell pepper.
• Guavas.
• Lemon.
• Brussels sprouts.
• Lychees.
• Pears.
• Cantaloupe.
• Raspberries.
• Blueberries.
• Cranberries.
• Watermelon.
• Mango.
• White potatoes.
• Cabbage.
• Turnip greens.(Shalgam sag)

Info about vitamin C or Ascorbic acid:

• You don’t have to overcook the food because the more the food is cooked lower the amount of vitamin c it contains.
• Always eat fresh fruits and vegetables instead of stale ones because those carries more amount of vitamin c.
• Always try to eat raw fruits over juices because fruits contains more amount of vitamin c.
• If possible, always try to eat baked food instead of fried.

People who required more vitamin c or Ascorbic acid:

1. People who live in a polluted environment like Delhi.
2. People who do smoking or consuming alcohol should take 40 – 50mg of extra vitamin c than their daily requirement.
3. people who have any medical condition need a higher amount of vitamin c for recovery.
4. At the time of breastfeeding, women required some extra amount of vitamin c.

Symptoms of Deficiency of vitamin C and scurvy:

• Slowly healing wounds.
• Dry, damaged skin.
• Painful swollen joints.
• Bleeding gums.
• Poor immunity.
• Chronic inflammation.
• Fatigue.
• Iron deficiency.
• Tooth loss.
• Weak bones.
• Premature aging.

Vitamin C prevents diseases:

• Vitamin C or ascorbic acid reduces the risks of various types of cancer like colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer but people who have, chemotherapy should consult a doctor before taking a higher dose of vitamin c.
• Antioxidants properties of vitamin c can protect us from the damage of free radicals and reduce the risk of heart diseases.
• Vitamin c protects us from cataracts and vision loss in our older age.

Meaning and definition of scurvy:

It is a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C or ascorbic acid. It occurs in Senior citizens who do not consume fresh fruits and vegetables.

Skin benefits of vitamin C:

Boost collagen:

Vitamin C is a natural collagen booster. Collagen is a protein that improves the quality of your skin. If your body’s collagen production is low, your skin starts losing its elasticity, this leads to fine lines and wrinkles on your face, and you start looking very old. Vitamin C can reverse this effect and make your skin young and healthy.

Keep your skin hydrated:

Vitamin C can lock the moisture of your skin and also prevents moisture loss from your skin. Hydrated skin leads to healthy skin that makes your skin soft and glowing.

Brighten your complexion:

The most popular benefit of vitamin c is brightening your skin. Pollution and ultraviolet rays of the sun damage your skin and snatch the natural glow of your skin. Vitamin C has skin brightening properties that help your skin to achieve its natural radiance.

Reduces dark spots:

Vitamin C can prevent the excess production of melanin in our bodies. It can fade the dark spots and helps you to achieve even-toned complexion.

Melanin:

It is a natural skin pigment and present in both animals and humans. It decides the color of our skin, hair, and eye. The excess production of melanin leads to a darker complexion. The production of melanin occurs by skin cells called melanocytes.

Fight with free radicles:

Vitamin C act as a powerful antioxidant that protects our body from the damage of free radicals and helps our body to neutralize the negative impact of them.

Free radicals:

When our body breaks down food, this process can form toxins in our body and develop a situation like heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, etc. The amount of free radicles in your body is high, If you are a smoker and live in a polluted environment.

Hair benefits of Vitamin C or ascorbic acid:

Treats damaged hair:

The formation of free radicles due to an unhealthy lifestyle and environmental factors can make your hair dull, dry, weak, frizzy, and brittle. Vitamin C can fight with free radicles so that you easily achieve healthy and strong hair.

Fight dandruff:

The formation of free radicles (toxins) on our scalp can clog the pores of scalp which leads to dandruff. Vitamin C can remove toxins and prevent our scalp from any infection and dandruff.

Help in hair growth.

Hair fall is a common thing for everyone. In that case, Vitamin C works wonders for you because it increases collagen production, which is a protein for hair. It promotes quality hair by increasing the blood circulation in the scalp and makes our hair strong and healthy.

Vitamin C or Ascorbic acid per day dosage:

Category Dosage
(1-8 yrs) 15-30mg
(9-13yrs) 40-50mg
(14-19yrs) 60-75mg
Adult women 75-80mg
Pregnant women 80-90mg
Breastfeeding women 120-130mg

Side effects of vitamin C or ascorbic acid:

• Diarrhea.
• nausea.
• Bloating.
• Cramps in stomach.
• Abdominal discomfort.
• Headache.
• Vomiting.
• Insomnia.
• Heartburn (burning pain in our chest).