Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin that maintains skin integrity, helps heal wounds and is important in immune functions. It also has antioxidant properties, helping to prevent cell damage by neutralizing “free radicals” — molecules believed to be associated with aging and certain diseases.

As a water-soluble vitamin, ascorbic acid performs its antioxidant functions within the aqueous compartments of the blood and inside cells and can help restore the antioxidant potential of vitamin E (a fat-soluble antioxidant)

Vitamin C also functions as an essential cofactor for the enzymes involved in the synthesis of collagen – the chief structural protein in connective tissues such as bones, cartilage and skin. As such, vitamin C is often recommended for wound healing and as an added ingredient in supplements designed for healthy skin.

Vitamin C acts as a preventive against infections such as influenza and other viruses.  This vitamin is thought to strengthen the cell membranes, thereby preventing entrance of the virus to the interior of the cell. Support of immune cell function is also a key role performed by vitamin C and an effect which may help fight infections in their early stages. The combined effects of cellular strengthening, collagen synthesis and antioxidant protection are thought to account for the multi-faceted approach by which vitamin C helps to maintain health.

Recommended Dietary Allowances: Men = 90 mg; Women = 75 mg; Pregnant Women = 70 mg; Smokers = 125 mg

Importance:

• Essential for healthy teeth, gums & bones
• Helps heal wounds, scar tissue, & fractures
• Prevents scurvy
• Builds resistance to infection
• Aids in the prevention & treatment of the common cold
• Gives strength to blood vessels
• Aids in the absorption of iron
• Required for the synthesis of collagen, the intercellular “cement” which holds tissues together
• One of the major antioxidant nutrients
• Prevents the conversion of nitrates (from tobacco smoke, smog, bacon, lunch meats, & some vegetables) into cancer-causing substances.
• According to Dr. Linus Pauling, the foremost authority on Vitamin C, Vitamin C will decrease the risk of getting certain cancers by 75%.

Deficiency Symptoms:

• Soft & bleeding gums
• Swollen or painful joints
• Slow-healing wounds & fractures
• Bruising & nosebleeds
• Tooth decay
• Loss of appetite
• Muscular weakness
• Skin hemorrhages
• Capillary weakness
• Anemia
• Impaired digestion