How Much Do You Need?
If you eat a balanced diet, it's pretty easy to get enough.
Adult women (who aren't pregnant or breastfeeding) need 75 milligrams of
vitamin C per day; men, 90 milligrams. A mere 1/2 cup of raw red bell pepper or
3/4 cup of orange juice will do it, while 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli gets you at
least halfway there. Your body doesn't make or store vitamin C, so you have to
eat it every day.
Who's Falling Short?
The most likely people include those with an overall poor
diet, with kidney disease who get dialysis, heavy drinkers, and smokers. You'll
need an extra 35 milligrams of vitamin C per day to help repair the damage
caused by free radicals that form when you smoke. If you're among the 7% of
Americans who aren't getting enough vitamin C, you'll notice symptoms within 3
months.
Slow Wound Healing
When you get hurt, vitamin C plays a role in healing. Your
body needs it to make collagen, a protein that plays a role in each stage of
repairing the skin. And vitamin C helps neutrophils, a type of white blood cell
that fights off infection, work well.
Bleeding Gums,
Nosebleeds, Bruises
Vitamin C keeps your blood vessels healthy, and it helps
your blood clot. Collagen is also essential for healthy teeth and gums. One
study found that people with gum disease who ate grapefruit for 2 weeks noticed
their gums didn't bleed as much.
Weight Gain
Early research has found a link between low levels of
vitamin C and higher amounts of body fat, especially belly fat. This vitamin
may also play a role in how well your body burns fat for energy.
Dry, Wrinkled Skin
People who eat a healthy diet with plenty of vitamin C may
have smoother, softer skin. One possible reason is that vitamin C is an
antioxidant, it can help protect your skin from free radicals. These break down
oils, proteins, and even DNA.
Tired and Cranky
In a very small study, 6 of the 7 men who had low levels of
vitamin C said they felt tired and irritable. That suggests a link, though
other things could be playing a role. Another study of 141 office workers found
that giving them vitamin C made them feel less tired within 2 hours, especially
if their level was lower to start with. Then the effect lasted for the rest of
the day.
Weak Immunity
Since vitamin C has several jobs related to your immune system,
it shouldn't surprise you to learn you're more likely to get sick and may have
a harder time recovering. There's some evidence that vitamin C can help protect
you from illnesses such as pneumonia and bladder infections. It may even lower
your odds of heart disease and some types of cancer.
Vision Loss
If you have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), it may
get worse faster without vitamin C other antioxidants, and certain minerals.
Getting enough vitamin C from foods might help prevent cataracts, but we need
more research to understand that relationship better.
Scurvy
Before the 1700s, this potentially deadly disease used to be
a huge problem for sailors. Today, it's relatively rare but possible if you get
only 10 mg/day of vitamin C or less. People with scurvy also have problems such
as loose teeth, cracked fingernails, joint pain, brittle bones, and corkscrew
body hair. When you boost vitamin C, symptoms start getting better in a day,
and usually it's cured within 3 months.
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