- What is vitamin C used for?
- What are our vitamin C needs?
- Who needs vitamin C supplementation?
- Is too much vitamin C dangerous?
- What foods are rich in vitamin C?
- What are the signs of vitamin C deficiency?
- In what form do you find vitamin C in pharmacies?
- What dosage? What to do in case of overdose? What drug interactions?
What is vitamin C used for?
Vitamin C, water-soluble, participates in more than a hundred different functions in our body. Among these, there is first of all that ofantioxidant in order to fight against free radicals which lead to the premature aging of our cells. This stabilization of free radicals prevents and allows the management of neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson, Alzheimer) and cancers. In addition, vitamin C contributes to the strengthening of the immune systemin particular by helping wound healing and by producing antibodies.
It is also essential forintestinal iron absorption and the production of hemoglobin. This vitamin also promotes the formation of collagen, a protein essential to the skin, blood vessels, bones, cartilage, joints, muscles and ligaments. It is therefore useful in the fight against cardiovascular diseases and aging. Vitamin C is involved in the proper functioning of the brain and muscles through the activation of neurotransmitters such as dopamine or adrenaline. It is its famous anti-fatigue and energy action that remains the most famous for all.
What are our vitamin C needs?
The recommended vitamin C intake in France is 110 mg per day for adults, both men and women.
Here are the dietary reference values for the population (PRN) for the other age categories:
- children 1 to 3 years old: 20 mg per day;
- children 4 to 6 years old: 30 mg per day;
- children 7 to 10 years old: 45 mg per day;
- children 11 to 14 years old: 70 mg per day;
- teenagers from 15 to 17 years old: 100 mg per day.
Who needs vitamin C supplementation?
ANSES also recommends as RNP daily doses of 120 mg for pregnant women and 170 mg for breastfeeding women. Otherwise, on medical advice, vitamin C supplements may be prescribed for elderly, frail, stressed, smokers (a cigarette consumes 25 mg of vitamin C) and athletes (sport has an oxidative effect). At very high doses, it can also be injected to accompany chemotherapy or to fight a severe infection.
Is too much vitamin C dangerous?
High-dose vitamin C has no scientifically proven toxicity because its excess is rapidly eliminated through the urine. Nevertheless, in the case of an excess bordering on a daily intake of 100 mg, one can observe in certain sensitive subjects mainly digestive effects such as gastric burns, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. This is mainly due to the acidity of vitamin C and stones or sediment. Beyond 2,000 mg, there is a risk of joint pain, weakness, anemia, but also headaches and insomnia. By exceeding 3,000 mg per day, the most serious symptom, in a genetically deficient enzyme, may be the destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis). In those suffering from iron overload, heart problems may occur after the injection of vitamin C combined with deferoxamine.
What foods are rich in vitamin C?
Our diet should always include fresh fruits and vegetables, because it is within them that the sufficient supply of vitamin C is found in the form of the molecule of ascorbic acid. In these two families, foods rich in natural vitamin C are:
- acerola, blackcurrant, kiwi, red fruits (strawberries, raspberries, currants), orange, lemon, grapefruit, pomelo, lychee, papaya, mango, rosehip and calu-calu ;
- bell pepper, spinach, cauliflower, red cabbage, parsley and watercress.
We must not forget that the morning squeezed orange juice should be drunk within minutes, because vitamin C oxidizes quickly with oxygen in the air. Regarding vegetables, from 70 ° C, vitamin C is destroyed, it is therefore necessary to favor cooking over low heat.
What are the signs of vitamin C deficiency?
In cases of mild vitamin C deficiency, the symptoms of vitamin C deficiency are easy to recognize: drowsiness, fatigue, muscle or bone pain and shortness of breath during exercise. A much more severe deficiency leads to scurvy, the sailors’ disease whose study led to the very discovery of vitamin C by Linus Carl Pauling (1901-1994). This terrible pathology began by attacking the hair, then manifested itself by bleeding (in the gums in particular) and edema, a condition that could lead to death.
In what form do you find vitamin C in pharmacies?
Alongside the real natural vitamin C present in fresh fruits and vegetables, pharmacies offer vitamin C as a food supplement in capsules, tablets and powder, liquid or serum and cream. These different dosage forms provide an appropriate response to each particular situation. They offer the same molecule as that of fruits and vegetables, but in the molecular form of sodium ascorbate.
The capsule has the advantage of being gastro-resistant, that is to say that its envelope manages to pass the acid bath of the stomach and releases its active ingredient where it is optimal: the intestine.
The tablets, mainly based on acerola, have a generally fruity taste and are to be melted under the tongue. In powder, vitamin C dissolves in water and with a sweet taste, it is easily drunk. These are the most pleasant processes and therefore more likely to be accepted by children.
Liquid liposomal vitamin C is one of the most assimilable forms by our body. It is soluble in water, but not in fat, so the intestinal mucosa absorbs it very efficiently. This technology is made possible thanks to micro-droplets of fat called liposomes, whose structure, very similar to the cell membrane, facilitates the penetration of the active ingredient.
The vitamin in serum or cream is specifically intended for the face. It prevents skin aging, reduces wrinkles, fine lines, lightens dark circles and other spots.
What dosage? What to do in case of overdose? What drug interactions?
In the simple context of a vitamin C cure due to a little fatigue or a desire to boost your immunity, just refer to the needs listed above and to the instructions for your vitamin C box.
In the case of supplementation for special cases, the doctor’s prescription must then be strictly followed in terms of dosage, frequency and duration of this treatment.
In the event of an overdose, there is no need for undue concern, as vitamin C toxicity is very rare in healthy adults. The body quickly eliminates the excess anyway through the urine. Finally, in addition to the risk of drug interaction already mentioned with deferoxamine, there is that with other treatments such as simvastatin or warfarin. In case of follow-up of medical treatment, it is necessary as a precaution to always ask your doctor for his opinion before embarking on a supplementation.
Source :
- Nutritional references in vitamins and minerals, National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health SafetyANSES, April 2021
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