Immunity and immunity boosters are among the most talked about topics in the current times. With more and more deadly viruses being encountered by human race with no fix treatment, people are now trying their best to boost their immunities by going natural way. Pharmaceutical companies are coming up with range of supplements containing different combinations of vitamins and micronutrients that together boost immunity. While all vitamins have special role to play in smooth body functioning, the role of vitamin C is clearly defined for immunity boosting.
What is Vitamin C?
The term Vitamin C is not new to common people. It is also known as ascorbic acid and is major content of health supplements. This water soluble vitamin is present in wide variety of foods and can be easily made the part of daily diet by adding vitamin C rich foods to the meals. Humans cannot synthesize this vitamin endogenously and therefore it becomes more important to include it in the daily diet. Ascorbic acid is known to be vital for immune system. It is also required for producing neurotransmitters, tissue repairing, and for biosynthesis of collagen. This anti-oxidant rich vitamin helps your body stay fit, young and active.
How much Vitamin C?
Vitamin C is available naturally in many foods. Citrus fruits contain this vitamin in very high amount and it is therefore possible to include this vitamin in your diet naturally. However, it is also quite common to switch to supplements in order to get it in sufficient amount. The question arises that how much intake is proper intake in case of vitamin C! Oral intake of this vitamin has shown promising results. The absorption is as good as 70% to 90% when the dosage is regulated in the range of 30 – 180 mg/day. However, the absorption reduces to about 50% when the intake is increased to 1 g/day. The unabsorbed ascorbic acid is then removed from the body through urine. It has been observed that the body requires about 500 milligrams of this vitamin daily to achieve health benefits, which is practically difficult to achieve via natural foods. One may be required to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to achieve this amount of dose and hence supplement is always recommended along with natural sources of this vitamin.
Why Your Body Needs Vitamin C?
Vitamin C boosts your immunity and that is one of the major reasons to make it the part of your daily nutrition. Some of the key benefits of ascorbic acid that are worth considering are discussed here –
- Cardiovascular Health –Vitamin C may not directly work on your cardiovascular health but it works on the risk factors and hence reduces the risk. It has been observed that high blood pressure and high cholesterol may not be good for healthy heart. Vitamin C has beneficial effect on these factors. Studies have also shown that natural sources of vitamin C may be more beneficial for heart compared to the supplements.
- Boosts Immunity –This is quite popular benefit of ascorbic acid. It helps producing phagocytes and lymphocytes, commonly known as white blood cells. These cells work as your body’s army against infection. It also fights against free radicals that may trigger various health problems in future.
- Blood Uric Acid Levels –High blood uric acid levels will result into gout attacks that are very painful and may also hinder the healthy routine. This mainly results due to deposition of uric acid crystals on joints, which may affect the free movement and also cause severe pain. Uric acid levels are found to be reduced by vitamin C and hence ease the gout attacks.
- Good Source of Antioxidant –This vitamin is the powerhouse of antioxidants that help your body to fight against the harmful foreign entrants. The free radicals are not allowed to enter the cells and cause any type of damage. Too many free radicals can result into oxidative stress and may result into chronic health problems.
- Memory and Aging –Vitamin C is known to be effective in reducing oxidative stress. It effectively helps in reducing the memory loss and aging of brain that may result in Dementia. Taking adequate amount of vitamin C can keep your mind and body young.
Vitamin C has an important place in human body. It can keep you young and healthy due to its various properties. Include it in all forms to ensure healthy body and mind.
