What Do You Really Know About Vitamin C?
What do you know about vitamin C?
One of the more popular dietary supplements over the years is vitamin C.
Though its popularity has declined in recent years, being pushed out by vitamin D supplements and, more recently, probiotics, it is still one people tell me about all the time.
According to Consumer Labs, in their 2023 survey results, vitamin C dropped to #7 on the popularity list (from #6 in 2022) when just over 37% of the people who responded to their survey purchased vitamin C in the past year (almost 42% in the prior year).
What is vitamin C, and why do we need it?
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that we can get from foods (fruits and vegetables). It is also known as ascorbic acid. Some people will tell you that ascorbic acid is not vitamin C but something much more dangerous that companies add to our food. However, just because something has “acid” in its name doesn’t make it harmful. For example, your stomach has hydrochloric acid, and acetic acid is vinegar.
Humans are one of the few animals on the planet who cannot make their vitamin C, so we much get it from our food.
Interestingly, even though collagen is a popular supplement, vitamin C helps make collagen in the body. Vitamin C is also crucial for wound healing and making connective tissue. This role is why the medical condition known as scurvy includes bleeding gums, and tooth loss can occur when people are significantly deficient in vitamin C.
Vitamin C is also a known antioxidant that helps fight and neutralize free radicals, which contribute to aging in the body. (See below for the recommendations for SMOKERS.)
It can also help improve iron absorption from plant sources – so the iron in your spinach needs the help of vitamin C.
Doesn’t it help with the immune system and fighting colds?
Yes, and no.
Vitamin C is vital for a healthy and well-functioning immune system.
With all his accolades, including the Nobel Prize for Chemistry and the Nobel Peace Prize, Linus Pauling suggested that mega-dosing vitamin C can help prevent or “cure” the common cold.
It doesn’t. Even brilliant people get things wrong sometimes.
While vitamin C is essential for immune health and connective tissue, its effect on the common cold is minimal.
Vitamin C does not prevent a cold – prophylactic use – in the general population.
People who take vitamin C still get the common cold, but with a reduced duration of 8% in adults and 14% in children. These percentages mean that a cold lasting 48 hours without vitamin C would only last 44 hours in adults and 41-42 hours in children.
And, when taken after the start of symptoms did NOT have any effect, positive or negative, on the duration or severity of the cold.
Not harmful, but not helpful. Many insist it is valid, but the data and research don’t support this.
How much do I need?
The recommendations vary based on birth sex and smoking status.
Men need 90 mg per day + 35 mg if they are smokers.
Women need 75 mg per day + 35 mg if they are smokers.
Children need less, and during pregnancy and lactation, the recommendations increase, though often the increased calories needed during pregnancy and lactation can cover that increased need. A prenatal vitamin would also provide for those increased needs.
Many people are surprised to learn their needs hover at around 100 mg a day, considering there are supplements that provide 500 mg, 1000 mg, or more.
Yup, it isn’t as high as most people think. I have seen plenty of people (college students) who are far below their recommended dietary allowance (RDA), mainly because their diet lacks fruits and vegetables.
Can you get too much vitamin C? Potentially, yes.
There is no such thing as too much, right? It’s vitamin C!
From food? Not really.
When we have micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) from foods, the body will often self-regulate absorption.
There is minimal risk of “too much” or toxicity from foods.
With supplements, that is different. Red bell pepper is one of the best sources of vitamin C, which has 95 mg of vitamin C per half a cup, and supplements start in the 100’s mg and go up to 1-2 grams, a significant difference.
Yes, you can get too much vitamin C. The most immediate effect is “GI distress,” which is an excellent way of saying nausea, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea at about 2,000 mg doses.
There are other suspected, though not confirmed, risks of taking excessive doses of vitamin C, such as acting as a pro-oxidant (in test tube studies, not humans) which could increase the risk of cancer.
And most importantly, high doses may interfere with some medical treatments, so always discuss this with your healthcare provider. For example, you don’t want to go through chemo and radiation and have a high dose of a supplement working against that treatment.
Citrus – but so much more
So many people think “oranges” when talking about vitamin C.
Yes, those are excellent sources of vitamin C. But strawberries, tomatoes, and kiwi are also excellent sources. And those veggies, too – broccoli, peppers, and potatoes.
Heat and age (long storage) of the food will affect vitamin C – so steaming works, as does eating things raw. However, it is okay to cook the food, don’t overcook it, and if boiling in water, the vitamin C diminishes with that cooking water. So, have baked or roasted potatoes instead of boiled (or fried).
Bottom line: eat your fruits and vegetables.
If you want help with meal planning, check out my Mini-Course: Six Tips for the Busy Person to Have Sustainable Energy. It addresses aspects of meal planning and more.
Sources:
Probiotics Rise in Popularity as Vitamin C, Melatonin, and Others Dip in Latest ConsumerLab Survey of Supplement Users Posted Feb 24, 2023
