Vitamin C Facts and Tips


Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble antioxidant helpful in reducing or repairing the cellular damage which results from the stress-related creation of free radicals.

Vitamin C Benefits

Vitamin C aids the body in the production of the “anti-stress” hormones and interferons (immune systems proteins) needed for the absorption of folic acid, tyrosine, and phenylalanine (amino acids).

An essential nutrient for the formation of collagen, a component of ligaments, tendons, and muscles, Vitamin C is best absorbed in the presence of bioflavins.

Vitamin C Effects

Vitamin C can enhance athletic performance, help to bronchitis, bruising, and burns, support fragile capillaries, and alleviate colds and sore throats.

Vitamin C supplementation can aid in relieving gingivitis, glaucoma, and heart attacks, high cholesterol, infections, autism, atherosclerosis, cataracts, diabetes, gastritis, and immune functioning.

Lead poisoning and schizophrenia respond favorably to Vitamin C supplementation; and it acts as an anti-inflammatory and helps to relieve arthritis and fibromyalgia.

More Good Effects of Vitamin C

Vitamin C, although there is no concrete evidence to support the claim, is said to help fight off colds and flus. Various studies, however, show it can reduce the duration and severity of a cold already contracted. Because Vitamin C boosts immune system strength, this could be very important in the elderly.

Other studies have shown that by making them more resistant to plaque formation, Vitamin C protects artery linings thereby offering protection against heart disease. This ability is one of the strongest reasons for consuming plenty of Vitamin C.
Vitamin C may also offer protection against the formation of cataracts, a vision-impairing eye disorder.


Things to Watch Out For


Side effects of Vitamin C include the possible formation of kidney stones, stomach upset, diarrhea, mouth sores, frequent urination, and blood disorders.

Abdominal and back pain, as well as painful urination could also occur. If any of these symptoms occur seek medical attention as soon as possible.,

These side effects, however, are extremely rare.
Those people who have kidney stones should, as they may actually worsen the condition, steer away from mega-doses (which many experts of nutrition say is around 1,000 mg or more). The current Recommended Daily Allowance that has been set for this particular nutrient is 60 mg daily.

Apart from what we have mentioned, Vitamin C, as the body can readily pass excessive amounts through the urine, is extremely safe.

Our Take on Vitamin C

Vitamin C, in our opinion, is a supplement that you should be adding to your daily supplement regimen

This is especially important for those who have a diet low in fresh vegetables and fruits. Using supplements as part of your nutritional intake, to be honest, is more important than ever today, because the nutrient value of fruits and vegetables has, due to modern farming methods, significantly declined. Because of the many chemicals being used to mass-produce foods, nutritional value in many important foods has dropped dramatically over the years.

How to Select a Vitamin C Supplement

1. Higher doses of Vitamin C--over 500mg--may be needed to treat certain health conditions. However, to maintain general health, we advise that you consume lower daily levels of Vitamin C as we also obtain it from quite a few food sources. (Anywhere from 20 mg to 60 mg in a supplement seems a reasonable dosage in supplement form).

2. Vitamin C works Together with vitamin E (and other powerful antioxidants, such as selenium) by recycling it. This means that those with higher levels of vitamin C also had higher levels of vitamin E in their body, enhancing and prolonging its benefits. Because of this, we advise people to take vitamin C as part of a more comprehensive, totally balanced formula, rather than as a stand-alone product.

3. Nutritional supplements in the U.S. are unregulated, and both private and government parties have stated many consumers only have a 1 in 5 chance of buying a product that actually contains the amount of ingredients stated on the product label. Because of this, we advise people to purchase from pharmaceutical GMP compliant facilities, which comply with the strictest standards for the manufacture of dietary supplements

Doing the above will both assure you receive the amount of Vitamin C you paid for, and save you from buying products that may contain harmful contaminants.

A Comprehensive Nutritional Product We Personally Use

A company that we use that produces a product to pharmaceutical GMP compliance is Xtend-Life Natural Products from New Zealand, which far exceed U.S. FDA requirements for nutritional supplements. Their flagship product, Total Balance, contains vitamin C, and vitamin E, along with many other vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, amino acids, specialty nutrients, and enzymes. You can get the best vitamin c benefits with our supplement of choice

We have been taking Total Balance for the past two years with excellent health results.

You can get much more than just Vitamin C tips back at our home page.

 
New Page 1

© Copyright 2006-2010 www.nutritional-supplement-guides.com ~ All Rights Reserved.

This site is protected under both U.S. Federal copyright law and international
treaties. No part of this work, including text, look and feel, layout, images, may
be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means.