Vitamin C Cannot Prevent Colds, But It Can Do So Much More
There is a stereotype that vitamin C is
only beneficial for preventing the flu, which is why we usually start
supplementing it and eating more foods that contain vitamin C during flu
season. But recent research shows that there is no relationship between
vitamin C and cold prevention, which may falsely render vitamin C
useless for the average consumer.
In this article, we would like to stress
the importance of meeting your daily value of vitamin C by highlighting
all the important functions and health benefits it provides for the
body. Although vitamin C may not protect you from the flu, it can do
wonders for your immune system, heart, skin, and the nervous system.
These are some of the scientifically proven health benefits of vitamin C:
1. Slows Down Cognitive Decline
Even short-term vitamin C deficiency is
famously associated with brain fog and memory problems, and scientists
believe this is due to oxidative stress of your central nervous system.
Vitamin C belongs to the class of chemicals called antioxidants, the
major role of which is to prevent oxidative stress.
In fact, vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants known, and
luckily, one of the most common ones. Furthermore, it was found that
people who suffer from memory problems and dementia often have low
levels of vitamin C in their blood, which further accentuates the
crucial role of this vitamin for our memory and thinking.
2. Boosts Collagen
You may be familiar with collagen
production if you have an interest in anti-aging skin care, as this
compound gives our skin a youthful bounce and tautness. In fact, the
older we get, the less collagen our skin produces, and so we get
wrinkles. But collagen is important for more than just skin health, it
plays a significant role in healing our bones, cartilage, and skin,
which is also why you might find that with age, your wounds may heal
slower.
Vitamin C is one of the few compounds in the body that can boost
collagen production, which is why it is a key ingredient in many
anti-aging skin care products and the doctor may prescribe you with a
vitamin C supplement after traumatic injuries.
3. Prevents Heart Disease
The recommended amount of vitamin C you
should consume every day is 500 mg a day, which is equal to about 1
glass of orange juice or a ½ cup of fresh red bell peppers. Those who
meet this daily value have been found in several studies to have a lower
risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure and lower levels of bad
cholesterol.
One study even found that people with the highest blood concentrations
of vitamin C were 42% less likely to get a stroke than those with
lower-than-normal levels. And it didn’t matter if they got their vitamin
C from a supplement or food either.
4. Helps You Avoid Complications of a Cold
Eating more vitamin C during flu season may
not protect you from a cold, but it may lower your risk of developing
complications even if you end up getting the flu. Don’t rush to the
pharmacy for a supplement just yet, though, as too much vitamin C may
cause some side effects, such as nausea and diarrhea.
Instead, most medical professionals and nutritionists agree that it’s
best to get your vitamin C from food, especially since it’s quite easy,
as so many different foods contain this vitamin.
5. Prevents Gout Attacks
Gout is a very painful condition that
affects around 4% of people in the world. It’s a type of rheumatoid
arthritis, and the inflammation in the joints, most commonly in the
extremities, is caused by uric acid crystals forming in the joints and
causing excruciating pain attacks. These crystals form when there is too
much uric acid in the blood, and the body tries to get rid of it by
depositing it in your joints and muscles.
One way to lower the level of uric acid in the blood, thus preventing
gout and the pain that comes with it is by, you guessed it, consuming
enough vitamin C. A 20 year long study that looked at more than 50.000
participants even showed that high vitamin C levels were associated with
a 44% lower chance of developing gout.
6. Prevents Iron Deficiency
Iron deficiency is a common and very
dangerous condition, which can ultimately lead to a disease called iron
deficiency anemia where low iron blood counts prevent the formation of
new red blood cells and make these cells worse at carrying oxygen to the
different cells of the body. This condition manifests itself through
the symptoms you can see on the picture below.
But what’s the link between iron deficiency and vitamin C, you might
ask? Well, vitamin C is necessary for iron absorption in the body, and
it’s often the case that low iron counts are caused by low vitamin C
counts. This way, optimal levels of vitamin C promote the absorption of
iron and prevent iron deficiency.
7. Urges the Production of White Blood Cells
Yet another way vitamin C influences our
blood and immune system is by promoting the formation of white blood
cells, the guards of our body that fight off infections. White blood
cells comprise less than 1% of our blood, but they come in various
forms, which are illustrated in the picture below.
Vitamin C was proven to help form new lymphocytes and phagocytes, which
are immune cells that promote healing and fight infection. Apart from
that, vitamin C helps protect all white blood cells from getting damaged
by free radicals. Both ways help strengthen your immune system and make
you ready to ward off any infections.
8. Improves Degenerative Diseases
Some of the most dangerous and most
debilitating conditions are chronic. Chronic conditions come in very
different forms, and most of us suffer from at least one degenerative
illness that worsens with age. Arthritis, diabetes, cancer, dementia,
Parkinson’s, cystic fibrosis and asthma are all examples of such
conditions, and often, we are forced to live with these conditions as
they are difficult or impossible to treat.
If you are suffering from a degenerative disease, it’s especially
important for you to include a lot of antioxidants in your diet, as they
can prevent the free radical damage that can really worsen your
condition. Vitamin C is one of the most potent antioxidants, with
studies showing that adequate vitamin C levels can raise your blood
antioxidant levels by as much as 30%.