The key benefit of Vitamin C is its ability to fight off infections like colds and flu. While you may not be able to prevent a cold it will certainly be shorter and less severe.
It is a powerful antioxidant that protects your body from free radical damage. Vitamin C also helps stimulate wound healing after accidents and surgery.
Studies have also found that high blood levels of Vitamin C showed lowered risk of heart disease. The nutrient may also be beneficial in helping delay or prevent cataracts by preventing the damage caused by oxidative stress.
The body can not store large amounts of Vitamin C so it is essential you get it from your diet every day.
The best food sources of Vitamin C:
- blackcurrants
- oranges
- strawberries
- capsium
- broccoli
- kiwi fruit
The lack of Vitamin C in the days of sailing gave the sailors the killer disease scurvy. Vitamin C is probably one of the easiest vitamins to get in your diet as it's found in virtually every fruit and vegetable. Absorption of Vitamin C is helped when eaten with foods containing calcium and magnesium.
You may need extra if you need an immunity boost, if you are anaemic (to help iron absorption), to speed up wound healing and if you are an athlete. Stress and smoking also increases the body's need for Vitamin C.
The antihistamine affect of Vitamin C may also be good news for allergy and asthma sufferers by helping reduce the risk of wheezing and bronchitis.
Supplements come in a range of forms such as powder, dissolving tablets, chewable tablets or tablets to swallow. It can come in the form of straight ascorbic acid or if you have an indigestion problem, hernia or stomach ulcer, the slightly more expensive but non-acidic ester-c is better.
See also Vitamin E
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