Breaking Facts About Vitamin C

Many fruits and vegetables that have a lot of vitamin C include citrus fruits and dark, leafy greens. The fruit with the highest concentration of Vitamin C is fresh, undiluted orange juice. It contains 293.7 mg per six ounce serving. Among the vegetables, sweet peppers provide a generous 232.6 mg per serving. Since vitamin C is water-soluble, cooking can reduce its content in foods. Therefore, the best natural sources of vitamin C are raw foods or juices.

Vitamin c is essential in maintaining an optimal immune function. Many people think of vitamin c to help fight colds, while that is true it goes much further than this. Because vitamin c is water soluble the body does not have the ability to store it. The body rids the vitamin through the urine. While the recommended amount for a man is 90 mg, the FDA recommends that we consume 160 mg. daily.

A deficiency of vitamin C can cause a disorder known as scurvy. This disease is characterized by bleeding gums and loose teeth and diminished energy. The skin can get dark spots on it and the sufferer looks chalky and weak. In its end stages, the victim suffers paralysis, jaundice, and finally death. Scurvy has been documented since earliest recorded history.

When a person smoke cigarettes, it actually makes it more difficult for the body to store vitamin c. Smokers have abnormal levels of vitamin c. In fact it has been proven that they are deficient by up to 40% if they smoke at least a pack a day. Because the body does not have the ability to store it, the cigarettes actually make the body excrete it faster, than those of a nonsmoker.

Anyone consuming more than the recommended amount, could be considered dangerous. Also, consuming more than 2,000 milligrams per day can cause kidney stones, or upset stomach and anemia. However, when taken properly, vitamin c has so many benefits to the body in general, that it is imperative to ensure that one is getting their daily needs.

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