7 Impressive Ways Vitamin C Benefits Your Body
Because the human body is unable to synthesize vitamin C on its own, it is regarded as an essential nutrient. However, it serves several purposes and has been linked to appreciable health gains.
Oranges, strawberries, kiwi fruit, bell peppers, broccoli, kale, and spinach are just some of the fruits and vegetables that contain this molecule, which is soluble in water and may be found in a wide variety of other foods as well.
The daily recommended intake of vitamin C for women is 75 milligrams, while the daily recommended intake for men is 90 milligrams.
Even though it’s recommended that you get most of your vitamin C from food, a lot of people still take vitamin C supplements to satisfy their requirements.
The following are 7 benefits that taking a vitamin C supplement has been shown to have through scientific research.
1. May lower the likelihood that you will develop a chronic disease.
Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that can help strengthen the natural defenses that your body already possesses.
Different types of chemicals called antioxidants support the immune system of the body. By protecting the cells from potentially harmful molecules known as free radicals, they achieve this purpose.
Free radicals can contribute to oxidative stress, a condition that has been connected to a wide range of chronic diseases when they accumulate in the body.
A great number of research have demonstrated that elevating your vitamin C intake can raise the amounts of antioxidants in your blood by as much as 30 percent. As a direct consequence of this, the natural anti-inflammatory defenses of the bodywork to reduce inflammation.
2. Could aid in the control of high blood pressure
Hypertension affects roughly one-third of all adults in the United States (also known as high blood pressure).
If you have high blood pressure, you are more likely to develop heart disease, which is the leading cause of death worldwide.
According to some studies, vitamin C may help lower blood pressure in both people with and without high blood pressure.
According to the findings of an animal trial, a vitamin C supplement may help relax the blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart, lowering blood pressure.
Additionally, healthy adults who took part in one or more of the 29 studies that were examined for this meta-analysis saw a reduction in systolic blood pressure (the higher value) of 3.8 mmHg and a reduction in diastolic blood pressure (the lower value) of 1.5 mmHg after taking a vitamin C supplement.
In adults who already had high blood pressure, taking vitamin C supplements resulted in an average reduction of 4.9 millimeters of mercury in the systolic blood pressure and 1.7 millimeters of mercury in the diastolic blood pressure.
Although these findings are encouraging, it is not yet known whether or not they will have a lasting impact on the patient’s blood pressure. Vitamin C should not be relied on as a sole treatment for hypertension in patients who already have the condition.
3. May reduce the likelihood of developing heart disease.
Diseases of the heart are the leading cause of death on a global scale.
Several risk factors, including high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides or LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol, and low levels of HDL (the “good”) cholesterol, contribute to an increased likelihood of developing heart disease.
These risk factors can potentially be reduced by taking vitamin C, which in turn may lower the risk of developing heart disease.
For instance, a review of nine studies with a total of 293,172 participants found that after ten years, individuals whose diets included at least 700 milligrams of vitamin C daily had a risk of cardiovascular disease that was twenty-five percent lower than that of individuals whose diets did not include a vitamin C supplement.
An additional review of 15 studies came to the intriguing conclusion that getting vitamin C from food, as opposed to taking supplements, was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
However, researchers were unable to determine whether or not people who consumed foods high in vitamin C also led healthier lifestyles compared to those who took a vitamin C supplement. Therefore, it is still unknown whether the differences were a result of their intake of vitamin C or some other aspect of their diet.
Another evaluation of 13 trials looked at the impact of daily vitamin C intake of at least 500 milligrams (mg) on risk factors for cardiovascular disease like blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
According to the findings of the study, taking a vitamin C supplement resulted in a significant reduction in both LDL (bad) cholesterol and blood triglycerides of approximately 7.9 and 20.1 mg/dL, respectively.
To summarize, it would appear that ingesting or taking at least 500 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C daily may lower the risk of developing heart disease. However, if you already consume a diet that is high in vitamin C, then taking vitamin C supplements may not provide any additional benefits to your heart health.
4. May lower levels of uric acid in the blood, which in turn helps prevent gout attacks
Around 4% of adults in the United States are diagnosed with the form of arthritis known as gout.
It causes excruciating pain and inflammation of the joints, most notably in the big toes, which can be quite debilitating. Gout sufferers experience swelling as well as sharp, intense attacks of pain that come on suddenly.
Gout symptoms start to show up when the blood has too much uric acid in it. A byproduct produced inside the human body is uric acid. It can form crystals and lodge itself in the joints when present in large amounts.
It’s noteworthy to note that vitamin C may help lower blood levels of uric acid and, as a result, guard against gout episodes, according to the findings of several research.
Those who drank the most vitamin C had much lower blood levels of uric acid than those who consumed the least, according to a study of 1,387 men. This was true even though both groups took the same quantity of vitamin C.
In another study, 46,994 healthy men were followed for 20 years to investigate whether or not vitamin C consumption was related to the development of gout. It was discovered that those who took vitamin C supplements had a likelihood of developing gout that was 44% lower.
Furthermore, a meta-analysis of 13 research discovered that taking a vitamin C supplement for 30 days significantly reduced blood uric acid levels when compared to a placebo-controlled group.
Even though there appears to be a strong association between vitamin C intake and uric acid levels, more research on the effects of vitamin C on gout is still needed.
5. Helps prevent iron deficiency
Iron is an important nutrient that helps the body in many ways. Having too little iron can cause several health problems. It is needed to make red blood cells and move oxygen around the body.
Iron from food can be more easily absorbed into the body when vitamin C is taken in supplement form. The iron that is not well absorbed, such as that found in plant-based sources of iron, can be converted into a form that is more easily absorbed with the assistance of vitamin C.
Because meat is such a significant source of iron, this information is particularly helpful for people who opt to exclude meat from their diet.
Consuming just 100 milligrams of vitamin C daily has been shown to improve iron absorption by 67 percent.
As a consequence of this, vitamin C may assist in lowering the risk of anemia in individuals who are predisposed to iron deficiency.
A vitamin C supplement was administered to 65 children who were diagnosed with mild iron deficiency anemia for one study. The supplement, on its own, helped the participants’ anemia, as the researchers discovered.
If your blood iron levels are low, increasing the amount of vitamin-C-rich foods you eat or taking a vitamin C supplement may help improve them.
6. Stimulates the immune system
Because vitamin C plays a role in many different aspects of the immune system, one of the primary reasons that people take vitamin C supplements is to strengthen their immune systems.
To begin, vitamin C plays a role in the stimulation of the production of certain white blood cells, including lymphocytes and phagocytes, which play a role in the defense of the body against infectious agents.
Second, vitamin C enables these white blood cells to perform their functions more efficiently while also shielding them from the damaging effects of molecules like free radicals that are capable of causing damage.
Third, the skin’s natural defense mechanism relies heavily on vitamin C to function properly. It is actively transported to the skin, where it can function as an antioxidant and help strengthen the barriers that the skin creates to keep outside elements out.
The time it takes for wounds to heal may also be sped up by taking vitamin C, according to some studies.
In addition to this, studies have shown a correlation between low levels of vitamin C and adverse effects on one’s health.
For instance, people who have pneumonia are more likely to have lower vitamin C levels, and it has been demonstrated that taking vitamin C supplements can speed up the healing process.
7. Preserves your capacity for thinking and remembering as you get older
The term dementia refers to a wide range of symptoms, the most common of which are difficulties with thinking and memory.
It is estimated that over 35 million people around the world are afflicted with it, although it most commonly affects adults in their later years.
According to several studies, the presence of oxidative stress and inflammation near the brain, spine, and nerves (collectively referred to as the central nervous system) can raise the probability of developing dementia.
The antioxidant power of vitamin C can’t be overstated. There is a correlation between having low levels of this vitamin and having a diminished ability to think and remember.
In addition, several studies have demonstrated that people who have dementia may have lower levels of vitamin C in their blood.
It has also been demonstrated that high vitamin C consumption, whether from food or supplements, has a preventative effect on thinking and memory as one age.
If you don’t get enough vitamin C from your diet, vitamin C pills may help prevent problems like dementia. To fully understand the connection between vitamin C supplementation and the condition of the neurological system, more research on humans is necessary.