Questions & Answers

What are the potential advantages of taking vitamin C?

Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is a powerful antioxidant. It helps to maintain healthy collagen in the skin, repair damaged tissue, promote healthy teeth and bones, and boost the immune system.

What conditions or problems is vitamin C used for?

Vitamin C helps ward off wrinkles and many illnesses linked to oxidation, including cataracts, arthritis, heart disease, and cancer. Vitamin C can help lessen cold and flu symptoms. It helps the body fight inflammatory diseases, including heart disease, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue.

A multitude of other conditions may be improved with vitamin C, including anemia, angina, bronchitis, bruises, canker sores, constipation, diabetes, eyestrain, gingivitis, glaucoma, hangover, infertility, allergies, joint pain, rashes, rosacea, shingles, sore throat, sprains, sunburn, and yeast infections, urinary tract infections, and scurvy (a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency).

How much vitamin C is enough?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamin C for adults is 60 milligrams.

How much vitamin C is too much?

No toxic side effects have been linked to vitamin C, although doses over 1,000 milligrams may cause side effects.

Are there risks associated with using vitamin C?

Large doses of vitamin C are tolerated fairly well in healthy individuals, and some people have taken from 5,000 to 10,000 milligrams each day for several years without having any serious side effects. However, it is possible to consume too much of this vitamin. More than 1,000 milligrams of vitamin c has been known to cause frequent urination and mild diarrhea. Facial flushing, headaches, stomach cramps, nausea, or vomiting are other symptoms of too much vitamin C in the diet.

Can you get enough vitamin C from food and diet?

It is not difficult to incorporate the RDA of vitamin C into your diet, but more than the RDA is needed to provide antioxidant protection and other health benefits. Studies have shown that at least 500 milligrams of vitamin C are needed each day to get the maximum protective benefits from this nutrient, so most people could benefit from taking a vitamin C supplement.

People over the age of 55 and smokers should strongly consider vitamin C supplementation for extra antioxidant protection; the rate of oxidation increases as a result of smoking and the natural aging process.