This information is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor.
What is Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) ?
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) assists the body in the production of collagen, a basic component of connective tissues. Collagen is an important structural element in blood vessel walls, gums, and bones, making it particularly important to those recovering from wounds and surgery.
Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant, scavenging potentially harmful molecules called free radicals. Although not firmly established by clinical trials, this antioxidant capacity may help boost immune function, protect against cancer, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration of the retina, and other chronic diseases. Vitamin C intake may be particularly helpful to smokers, as they are more likely to suffer from oxidative stress and cell damage that can deplete vitamin C. Vitamin C also enhances iron absorption.
Where can you get Vitamin C?
Vitamin C is obtainable from many types of fruits and vegetables. In dietary supplements, it typically is sold in the form of ascorbic acid, calcium ascorbate, sodium ascorbate, or a combination of these forms.
Are some types of Orange Juice better than others?
The Journal of American Dietetic Association reports that frozen concentrates of orange juice contained significantly more vitamin C — about 86 milligrams per cup vs. 27-65 milligrams in packaged ready to drink cartons.
Why does frozen orange juice contain more vitamin C?
The pasteurization and packaging processes destroy vitamin C. Also, once a container of any type was opened, vitamin C in both types of orange juice decreased by about 2 percent a day.
Vitamin C and Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a major risk factor in cardiovascular disease. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has been shown to lower blood pressure and lower the risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease. In clinical studies, persons with high bloodstream levels of vitamin C had blood pressures 5 to 10 percent lower than persons with low levels of vitamin C. Vitamin C is best effective when obtained naturally through citrus fruits and vegetables.
How does Vitamin C Help?
Vitamin C is a very important nutrient. Vitamin C may work against high blood pressure (hypertension), by protecting levels of nitric oxide, a natural chemical in the body that helps relax blood vessels. Vitamin C promotes healthy teeth and gums, helps in the absorption of iron, aids in the maintenance of normal connective tissue, and promotes wound healing. It also helps the body’s immune system.
Vitamin C Deficiency
Lack of vitamin C can lead to a condition called scurvy, which causes muscle weakness, swollen and bleeding gums, loss of teeth, and bleeding under the skin, as well as tiredness and depression. Vitamin C deficiency also causes wounds to heal slowly.
Individuals who are likely to be vitamin C deficient are people suffering from:
- AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome)
- Alcoholism
- Burns
- Cancer
- Diarrhea (prolonged)
- Fever (prolonged)
- Infection (prolonged)
- Intestinal diseases
- Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)
- Stomach ulcer
- Stress (continuing)
- Surgical removal of stomach
- Tuberculosis
- Infants receiving unfortified formulas
- Smokers
- Patients using an artificial kidney (on hemodialysis)
- Patients who undergo surgery
- Individuals who are exposed to long periods of cold temperatures
Which foods have Vitamin C?
Foods that are rich in Vitamin C are broccoli, strawberries, citrus fruits, green peppers, brussels sprouts, honeydew, and cantaloupe.
Other benefits of Vitamin C
Large doses will break down alcoholic substances more rapidly in the body. Lowers the risk of stroke. Aides in teeth and bone formation, bone fracture and wound healing. Reduces the histamine levels in the body, which trigger allergy and asthma attacks. Increases resistance to infections and other diseases. Lowers blood sugar and insulin requirements. Can reduce dangerous blood levels of lead, a condition that can harm neurological development in children.
Risks?
High doses can cause kidney stones, diarrhea and nausea.
Substance Interactions
The effect of vitamin C is decreased by aspirin, tobacco, barbiturates, mineral oil, oral contraceptives, salicylates, sulfa drugs and tetracyclines. Vitamin C will decrease the effect of Anti-cholinergics, oral anticoagulants and copper.
Good Information
A study in the Journal of Epidemiology (May, 1992) was reported to show that people who have high blood levels of vitamin C live 6 years longer than those who have lower blood levels.
Maintain your Vitamin C
The body eliminates vitamin C in about 12 hours so distribute your intake throughout the day.
Research on Vitamin C Indicates:
- Supports healthy immune function
- Helps reduce the effects of bruising
- Prevents scurvy
- Supports healthy histamine response
- Essential for the production of collagen
- May support healthy brain function
- Essential for proper adrenal glans function
- Powerful antioxidant
- Important for gum health
- Aids in absorption of vitamin E
- Supports healthy cardiovascular function
- Shown to strengthen blood vessels
- Increases iron absorption
- Promotes healthy healing of wounds and burns
Both Ascorbic acid and Calcium Ascorbate are forms of vitamin C. Ascorbic acid is the pure form of vitamin C and Calcium Ascorbate is the buffered vitamin C, which means it is the non-acidic form of vitamin C and is gentle in the stomach. Vitamin C is necessary for collagen formation and tissue repair. It promotes healthy capillaries, gums and teeth; aids iron absorption; increases calcium absorption; helps heal wounds, burns and broken bones; reduces free-radical production; and strengthens blood vessels. It also aids the utilization of carbohydrates, synthesis of fats and proteins, and preservation of the integrity of blood-vessel walls.
Citrus fruits contain bioflavonoids that affect the bioavailability of the Ascorbate part of vitamin C. Various studies have been done to find out the bioavailability and effectiveness of Ascorbic acids alone and in citrus extract. A study on this was done by Vinson JA and Bose P to determine the comparative bioavailability to humans of Ascorbic acid alone or in citrus extract. Ascorbate in the citrus extract was found to be more bioavailable than Ascorbic Acid alone in human subjects.
Calcium ascorbate is currently a very popular form of vitamin C supplementation. In addition to being directly labeled as calcium ascorbate, this form of vitamin C is also marketed as an “ester” form of vitamin C or a “buffered” form of vitamin C. Much of the popularity of this form of vitamin C comes from the fact that many people are looking for extra sources of calcium on a daily basis in addition to taking their vitamin C. With some minor variability, these products typically deliver approximately 100 mg of calcium for every 800 to 900 mg of ascorbate given. Also, the 100 mg or so of calcium with each gram of product usually has a very high degree of absorption when compared to other common forms of calcium supplementation, such as calcium chloride or calcium bicarbonate (Tsugawa et al., 1999).
Tsugawa, N., T. Yamabe, A. Takeuchi, M. Kamao, K. Nakagawa, K. Nishijima, and T. Okano (1999) Intestinal absorption of calcium from calcium ascorbate in rats. Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism 17(1):30-36.
There are two types of calcium. One type of calcium is tightly bound within the bone and the other more accessible type of calcium is found on the bone. The skeleton serves as a bank of minerals for the body. The body can borrow from the skeletal stores when blood calcium levels drop and return calcium to bones as needed.
Calcium absorption is improved by adequate amounts of protein, magnesium, phosphorous, and vitamin D. Conditions that reduce calcium absorption include high intakes of oxalates and phytates, found in foods such as spinach and unleavened whole wheat products. Consumption of alcohol, coffee, sugar, or medications such as diuretics, tetracycline, aluminum containing antacids, or stress can reduce absorption. Lack of exercise and immohility can reduce calcium absorption as well as cause an increase in calcium losses. Calcium deficiency can increase risk of bone disorders such as osteoporosis.
The Importance of Organic Calcium vs. Inorganic Calcium
A women’s body depends upon an intake of calcium each day for the processes of life to take place. Calcium is a critical component for the formation of strong bones and for calcium’s role in the contraction and relaxation phase of all muscles within the human body (skeletal, cardiac, and smooth). The medical profession and the media advise us to take in plenty of dairy products every day to assure we are getting enough calcium to build strong bones and teeth. According to some experts higher calcium intake lowers the incidence of osteoporosis, ( a condition of softening of the bones, that is implicated in the deaths of 35,000 Americans each year). 8 However, in countries such as China where animal source protein and calcium intake are very low the incidence of osteoporosis is very low.1 Women are told according to the RDA’s (recommended daily allowance) that they need anywhere from 800 mgs. to 1,500 mgs of calcium daily to ward off osteoporosis.
What we are not told however, is that there are two types of calcium found in nature (organic and inorganic).2 The human body can only recognize and utilize one type of calcium: organic calcium. This bio-available type of calcium found in fruits (many citrus), grains and vegetable. The physical characteristic of organic calcium is the only available form that the body needs and uses.3
Organic calcium is found within the body in the matrix, spongy living core of the bones. Animal dairy products contain inorganic calcium. Which is not recognized, nor utilized by the body. Dr. Stanley Kaplan, MD has found that organic calcium losses were elevated markedly in individuals for 3-4 hours after a meal rich in calcium from dairy and high in protein.4
Independent medical studies, those not funded by the Dairy Council, have concluded that excessive calcium found in the body (in the blood stream ) will not be recognized. Instead, this inorganic calcium from animal sources are removed from the blood and collected in the kidneys. This can lead to the development of kidney stones. The body requires calcium for life and daily bodily repair. Since there is no usable calcium available the brain instructs the bone matrix to release organic calcium into the blood stream. The net result is a loss of calcium from the bone matrix. This loss causes a weakening of the bone resulting in osteoporosis according to Dr. John McDougall, M.D. 5
Dr. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., professor of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, has studied nutritional bio-chemistry for forty years. He is the director of the China- Oxford Cornell Study, which is the largest study of diet and disease in medical history, and supports the necessity of organic calcium intake. He agrees that calcium intake should be from fruit, grains and dark green leafy vegetable sources. The absorption of organic calcium takes place readily from the blood in its vital role of carrying out the metabolic processes in the body. A supplemental form of calcium can be delivered in the form of calcium ascorbate, which delivers the essential organic calcium, with the addition of vitamin C.
Magnesium ascorbate is another significant mineral ascorbate. Unlike the other mineral ascorbates (except for sodium ascorbate) it is very difficult to overdose on this form of ascorbate. This is because the magnesium cation is very bioavailable and very effective in reversing the damage done by excess calcium, a condition shared by most older individuals. Bio-available magnesium (as ascorbate or as magnesium-amino acid chelates; NOT the commonly taken magnesium oxide form) is very effective in mobilizing abnormally deposited calcium throughout the body. As such, it is one of the most effective (and still least utilized) treatments available for osteoporosis
Citrus and Lemon Bioflavonoids are a brightly coloured, chemical constituent of the pulp and rind of citrus fruits. It may act as an antioxidant, preventing vitamin C and adrenaline from being oxidized by copper-containing enzymes. It may also increase the effectiveness of vitamin C and decrease cholesterol levels.