Learn more about Vitamin C
2 min read
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that we can get from organic sources like food or dietary supplements. It plays a major role in the body as an antioxidant. This would help in protecting our cells from being attacked by free radicals which are compounds formed when our bodies convert the food we eat into energy. Moreover, it was found that cigarette smoke, air pollution, and ultraviolet light from the sun could be another source of free radicals.
Vitamin C is needed by our bodies to produce collagen, a protein that plays a crucial role in wound healing. Additionally, vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron from plant-based foods and helps the immune system work properly to protect against disease.
Our daily average requirement of vitamin C differs based on age and other factors. It ranges from 40mg for newborn to 75mg to an adult. A pregnant woman needs more vitamin C with an estimated dose of 125 mg. Since smoking exposes us to more free radicals, smokers should take an additional 35 mg of vitamin C in addition to the daily average recommended dose.
In general raw vegetables and fruits like citrus fruits, kiwi and avocado are considered the best natural source of vitamin C.
Several studies showed an important role of vitamin C in reducing the symptoms of common cold and flu, that’s why several over the counter drug products (OTCs) of flu contain vitamin C. On the other hand and when it comes to COVID-19 until now there is no strong evidence that vitamin C can kill the virus, but a study in China showed that the usage of a high dose of vitamin C, reduce the time to recovery for some COVID-19 patients, despite that more and larger-scale studies are needed to prove the role of vitamin C in COVID-19.
