Most of us already understand the importance of vitamin C to our immune system.But if you’re familiar with some of mbg’s supplement content, you may have noticed that vitamins sometimes catch us off guard.
It turns out that vitamins perform several essential functions in our bodies—and vitamin C is no exception.Your body needs enough vitamin C every day to support its role as a powerful antioxidant, a booster for many enzymes, a booster for iron absorption, and more.
The truth is that 42% of American adults have insufficient levels of vitamin C, making it difficult for their bodies to perform these important roles.When it comes to your vitamin C status, supplements can help close that gap and achieve daily sufficiency.
Vitamin C doesn’t just support your immune system.It is involved in many processes in the body, and taking a high-quality vitamin C supplement can help these cells, tissues and organs function optimally.
What exactly does vitamin C do?First, it acts as a cofactor – a compound necessary for enzymatic activity – “for a variety of biosynthetic and regulatory enzymes,” explains Anitra Carr, MD, Director of the University of Otago Medical Nutrition Research Group.
According to Alexander Michels, Ph.D., clinical research coordinator at OSU’s Linus Pauling Institute, at least 15 different enzymes in our body depend on vitamin C for their proper function, “affecting things like neurotransmitter production and fat metabolism.”
In addition to its role as an enzyme cofactor, vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect biomolecules (such as proteins, DNA, RNA, organelles, etc.) throughout the body by fighting reactive oxidative species (ROS).
”Vitamin C has several important functions in the body — including proper immune system function, tissue healing, collagen formation, maintenance of bone and cartilage, and optimal absorption of iron,” says Emily Achey, registered dietitian nutritionist, who MD, R&D engineer, INFCP.
Getting enough vitamin C every day helps many of your body’s systems thrive, and supplementing with vitamin C can provide a range of benefits, like the six we explain in more detail below:
By stimulating the production and function of white blood cells (the cells that work hard for our innate and adaptive immune systems to keep us healthy), vitamin C supplements keep your immune system in top shape.
For example, as previously shared with mindbodygreen by nutritionist Joanna Foley, RD, CLT, vitamin C promotes the proliferation of lymphocytes and helps immune cells such as white blood cells (eg, neutrophils) to neutralize harmful microorganisms.
And this is just the beginning.As mbg’s Vice President of Scientific Affairs Dr. Ashley Jordan Ferira, RDN explains: “Research on this essential water-soluble micronutrient and immunity shows that vitamin C is acting on our behalf against the skin barrier in multiple targeted ways function. (our first line of defense) and phagocytosis to neutralize microbes, scavenge exhausted immune cells and gene regulation.”
Did you know that vitamin C is a key ingredient in collagen production?You can thank vitamin C for helping keep your skin fresh and strong.
Both oral and topical vitamin C (usually in the form of a vitamin C serum) has been found to support bright and healthy skin.In fact, according to an observational study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, higher vitamin C intake was associated with better skin appearance and fewer wrinkles.
While collagen is undoubtedly the buzzword in the skin care world (and for good reason), structural proteins are actually integral to bone and joint health too—meaning an adequate intake of vitamin C is essential for healthy skin, Bones and joints are vital.
As Ferira further elaborates, “Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, so yes, while it’s skin, joints, and bones, it’s also muscles, tendons, cartilage, blood vessels, guts, and more.” She went on to say , “Since normal collagen synthesis and vitamin C, which protects and preserves against oxidative stress, are required, daily intake of this nutrient can have a dramatic effect on the entire body.”
”Vitamin C is found in very high levels in the brain and neuroendocrine tissues, such as the adrenal and pituitary glands, suggesting an important role in these organs and tissues,” Carr said.In fact, “science shows that the brain and its neurons do crave vitamin C and are sensitive to vitamin C deficiency or deficiency,” explains Ferira.
She continued: “The role of vitamin C in the brain is rarely discussed, but it is very important. For example, this nutrient enables the formation of myelin on neurons and nerves.”
The vitamin C/brain support role doesn’t end there.Ferira shares that “even the formation of blood vessels in the brain (angiogenesis) requires vitamin C” thanks to its aforementioned role in the collagen production pathway.”If there was ever an organ that needed a great antioxidant like vitamin C to help fight free radicals and redox balance, it was the brain,” Ferira said.
”For example, [vitamin C] can support mood by synthesizing neurotransmitters and neuropeptide hormones,” Carr noted.In addition to their effect on mood, both neurotransmitters and neuropeptides play a role in the way information is transmitted.
In conclusion, it is clear that vitamin C has multiple key roles throughout the nervous system.In fact, research shows that adequate levels of vitamin C are needed to support memory and cognitive function.This may be why published science has determined that proactively understanding your vitamin C status may be a reward for your brain and cognitive health.
Vitamin C’s role in neuroendocrine pathways begins in the brain but gradually permeates the entire body to help balance hormones.For example, vitamin C plays an important role in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (think fight-or-flight stress response).
In fact, “the adrenal glands contain the highest concentrations of vitamin C in the entire body and are required for proper cortisol output,” explains Achey.
By supporting the balance of oxidants and antioxidants in the adrenal glands, vitamin C supports emotional health and many other physiological functions, as the adrenal glands are involved in regulating metabolism and healthy blood pressure, supporting the immune system, and more.
Sometimes nutrients are partners who can help each other.This is the case with vitamin C and the essential mineral iron.
Vitamin C supports the solubility of iron in the small intestine, allowing more iron to be absorbed in the intestine.“Iron is the main mineral we need every day for DNA synthesis, immune function, and to ensure healthy red blood cells for oxygen systemic administration,” explains Ferira.
These are just a few highlights of what this mineral can do.Virtually every cell in your body needs iron to function properly, providing another reason to increase your daily vitamin C intake for those who struggle to get enough iron.
As the body’s primary water-soluble antioxidant, vitamin C helps neutralize free radicals and fight ROS in both intracellular and extracellular compartments (ie, intracellular and extracellular) throughout the body.
What’s more, vitamin C itself not only acts as an antioxidant, but also promotes the regeneration of vitamin E, the fat-soluble “partner” antioxidant. This rejuvenating activity helps vitamins C and E work together to protect different cells and tissues throughout the body – from skin and eyes to our heart, brain and more.
From the evidence shared above, it is clear that vitamin C is absolutely vital to our physiology when it comes to 360 degree health. Because it is water-soluble (and therefore cannot be stored in large quantities in the body like fat-soluble vitamins), we must get our daily vitamin C needs through food and supplements.
People who find themselves commuting a lot may benefit from taking vitamin C daily for immune support.As Carr explains, feeling bad “cause your body’s vitamin C levels to drop, and you need more of the vitamin to perform at your best.” Replenishing these vitamin C stores daily will help your tissues and cells get them when they need them required C.
Vitamin C also supports collagen synthesis, so if you want to support your skin health from the inside out, a high-quality supplement is a great addition to your daily routine.While targeted nutritional solutions for beauty are a growing area of research (and here we are), let’s be honest, all of the health pathways and benefits listed above can be backed up with an effective, high-potency vitamin C supplement!
While most other animals can make vitamin C, humans need a little help.Because we cannot synthesize vitamin C (or even store it), we must consume it every day.
Ferira, a nutritional scientist and registered dietitian, takes things further, sharing, “Almost half of American adults are deficient in vitamin C in their diet. As a nation, we are failing to meet these baseline levels or Basic needs, effective doses are much less of a benefit.” She went on to explain, “We cannot assume that vitamin C will only happen to us Monday through Sunday. It has to be a conscious approach to nutrition that involves planning and Strategy.”
This means you should probably add vitamin C-rich foods to your shopping list (stats!) and consider the incremental benefits of adding a high-quality oral vitamin C supplement to your routine.
Specifically, a high-potency C supplement ensures you’re getting all the C (and then some) you need to best support your overall health.
In terms of safety, vitamin C overdose is very difficult – because it’s a water-soluble vitamin, your body excretes excess vitamin C when you urinate, which means that toxicity is extremely low (more details below). ).
According to the National Academy of Sciences, the recommended dietary intake to avoid vitamin C insufficiency (about 42% of U.S. adults, as noted earlier, fails to do so) is 75 mg for women (or even more if pregnant or breastfeeding). high) and 90 mg for men.
That said, the goal is not to simply avoid deficiencies.This approach “reduces costs and underestimates the full potential of this amazing nutrient,” Ferira said.In fact, “Your goal is to try to maximize your blood levels of vitamin C. The Linus Pauling Institute supports the 400 mg daily recommendation from food and supplements,” says Michels.
While 400 mg of vitamin C is certainly not to be underestimated, science shows that higher doses of vitamin C (i.e. concentrated doses of 500 mg, 1,000 mg, etc.) can help us boost our immune response, cardiovascular benefits, and more.
That’s why mbg’s Vitamin C Potency+ formula provides 1,000 mg of vitamin C with high absorption capacity to help close nutritional gaps, achieve vitamin C sufficiency, and take full advantage of this nutrient’s systemic potential. Family physician Madiha Saeed, MD, called this a “high-potency dose.”
According to Carr, when it comes to vitamin C, as long as you eat at least five servings a day, eating fruits and vegetables can do the trick—including a vitamin C-rich food like guava, kiwi, or other vegetables and fruits.
However, some factors may increase a person’s need for vitamin C.”It’s always important to consider an individual’s health: including their digestive health, bone health, stress levels, immune function, and whether they smoke — all of which can increase the need for vitamin C and potentially make it harder Get your best needs through food,” Achey said.
Ferira added: “We know from nationally representative studies that men, people who are overweight or obese, young adults, African-American and Mexican-Americans, low-income and food-insecure people experience disproportionate higher levels of vitamin C insufficiencies and deficiencies.”
”No time of day is better than any other,” Michels said.In fact, the best time is when you can remember it!
As long as you choose a high-quality, powerful vitamin C supplement that prioritizes absorption and retention, you can confidently take vitamin C in the morning, noon, or evening, with or without food—the choice is yours.
While the time of day doesn’t matter, it’s important to always take water-soluble vitamin C with some water to help with absorption.If you take iron supplements, you may choose to also take vitamin C supplements to directly enhance iron absorption in your body.
Taking too much vitamin C can have some potential side effects.Ferira explained, “Vitamin C has a strong safety profile, and vitamin C levels of up to 2,000 mg per day have been shown to be safe in adults.” In fact, vitamin C studies typically use higher doses, with few reported negative side effects.
It is not recommended for the average adult to take more than 2,000 mg per day because unabsorbed vitamin C has an osmotic effect in the gut as your body is designed to get rid of excess vitamin C.This may manifest as gastrointestinal discomfort, such as abdominal discomfort, nausea, or loose stools.
It’s definitely worth noting that excess unabsorbed vitamin C has the most common side effects, which is why it’s crucial to find a vitamin C supplement that’s highly absorbable.
Post time: Mar-22-2022