Vitamins & Supplements: Vitamin C
Vitamin and Supplement Series: Vitamin C
One of the many beauties of summer is that the common cold is not so common. Most of us get sick in the colder months of the year, not the warm summers, so Vitamin C may not be a supplement you are thinking about. But, come the fall, I’m sure many of you will be heading to the store to pick up some vitamin C drops.
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient, meaning we have to consume it from food. Our bodies cannot create vitamin C for its own use. Luckily, vitamin C is widely available in our food supply. Foods highest in vitamin C include:
- Peppers
- Citrus fruits and juices (orange, grapefruit, etc.)
- Kiwi
- Broccoli
- Strawberries
- Brussel sprouts
- Canteloupe
- Tomato Juice
Adult women need a minimum of 75 mg of Vitamin C a day and men 90 mg a day. The foods above give you at least 50% of that or more per serving. So getting enough Vitamin C from the diet alone is not difficult. Deficiency is very rare in the United States. Yet, vitamin C remains one of the most popular vitamin supplements.
Vitamin C is widely known as an important nutrient to help prevent and/or treat the common cold. It also has been linked to cancer prevention and treatment, heart disease prevention, and age-related macular degeneration prevention. This makes it a popular supplement for many. Is it beneficial though?
Research has been inconsistent when it comes to all of the above ailments. High intake of vitamin C from foods may have beneficial effects in prevention, but supplements fail to show improvements. Vitamin C supplementation for the common cold has shown to help in minimizing the length of a cold, but not preventing the cold. It has also shown to result in milder symptoms from a cold.
Although vitamin C has not been proven to prevent the common cold, heart disease, cancer, and macular degeneration, it is a safe supplement to take. Toxicity for vitamin C occurs at a very high dose: 2000 mg in adults. Those undergoing cancer treatment and taking statins may want to discuss vitamin C supplementation with a doctor as it can interfere with those medications. The type of supplement has not been shown to have major differences in absorption.
Bottom Line: take a Vitamin C supplement when you feel a cold coming on as it may help decrease the length and severity of the cold. The rest of time: eat your high vitamin C fruits and vegetables.