Vitamin C Benefits Might Surprise You
The c vitamin has got to be the most widely known vitamin these days. It is not surprising because the body needs c vitamin for over 300 functions. In fact, the c vitamin has been proved to help protect against heart disease, cancer and other serious illnesses. Without the c vitamin the body would not be able to heal itself either. This is because the c vitamin is vital for the formation of collagen. Whenever a person has a cut or an injury it is the collagen that helps repair the damage and without sufficient c vitamin this would be almost impossible. Collagen has a multitude of functions in the body, including keeping the organs in place, and it would not be able to do this without sufficient c vitamin.
The c vitamin is also an antioxidant for the body and helps other vitamins and minerals to be absorbed better. Folic acid and iron, for example, need the c vitamin to maximise their usefulness. The more c vitamin that the body has, the better its defence against colds and other common ailments and the c vitamin may not prevent a person catching a virus but it does help speed up the recovery process.
There is c vitamin in almost every fruit and vegetable but some have far higher c vitamin content than others. Cranberries and melons have high c vitamin content. In fact, tropical fruits have the highest c vitamin amounts of all fruit. Hot peppers are amongst the richest sources of the c vitamin when it comes to vegetables. The hotter the pepper, the higher its c vitamin content is. Unfortunately, the c vitamin is water soluble so many vegetables lose their effectiveness as a c vitamin provider if they are boiled for a long time. Steaming or quick stir frying vegetables ensures that more of their c vitamin content is retained. The recommended daily amount of the c vitamin is easily obtained from eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day if they are consumed raw or cooked quickly.
C vitamin supplements are extremely useful to ensure that people obtain sufficient c vitamin. However, with a balanced diet the amount of c vitamin the body receives is likely to be sufficient. However, if a person begins feeling tired or lethargic then a c vitamin supplement will help overcome this. There is no danger of having too much c vitamin as the body simply excretes the excess.
Vitamin C provides a number of health benefits to the human body. These include the following:
- It reduces the severity and length of colds and flu. It is good to take Vitamin C at the start of cold or flu to keep the illness from developing fully and thereby resulting to faster recovery.
- Wounds heal at a faster rate and minimize bruising. Vitamin C assist in repair and maintenance of the body by reinforcing cell walls and strengthening blood vessels called capillaries. It also stops inflammation.
- It makes gums healthy. Daily intake of vitamin C protects the tissue of the gums against cell damage and makes healing faster. It is best taken with flavonoids. Brushing gums with Vitamin C powder can minimize inflammation and bleeding.
- Enhances resistance to heart disease by improving cholesterol levels. Low levels of vitamin C cause greater risk of angina and heart attacks. If taken with vitamin E, it protects LDL cholesterol from oxidation preventing plaque buildup in coronary arteries.
- It prevents certain cancers. Its antioxidant properties are valuable in fighting cancer by protecting healthy cells from free-radical damage and impeding the spread of cancer cells.
- It protects against cataracts. Vitamin C prevents damaged to the eye due to ultraviolet (UV) light and cigarette smoke.
- It relieves allergies, eczema, sinusitis and asthma. Vitamin C contains natural antihistamine which blocks the effect of inflammatory substances produced to counter allergens.
- It improves memory. It is vital in maintaining healthy nerve cells and is combined with vitamin E, mixed carotenoids, ginkgo biloba and coenzyme Q10 to treat memory loss.
- It combats chronic fatigue syndrome. If mixed with carotenoids, it strengthens immune system.
- It controls gallstone formation by lowering bile cholesterol levels.
It fights the effects of aging. If combined with other antioxidants such as vitamin E and flavonoids, vitamin C may counter the aging process.
