Introduction: Vitamin C, the name appears frequently in our daily life, as if it is the patron saint of health, always quietly accompanying us in the form of a small bottle.
While it may seem unremarkable, it has a huge hidden power that can help us cope with many health challenges. As a result, it has gradually received widespread attention from the public, and in some cases, it has even been hailed as a "miracle drug".
But is vitamin C really that amazing, and is it as effective as we've heard it is to solve all kinds of health problems? To answer these questions, we can't help but delve into the science behind vitamin C.
01
What are the symptoms of vitamin C deficiency?
Leads to a decrease in immunity
Vitamin C helps to boost our immune system, allowing us to better fight off diseases and infections. Therefore, when we are deficient in vitamin C, we may be more susceptible to illness and recovery may be slower.
Causes skin problems
Vitamin C helps boost collagen production, which is important for maintaining skin elasticity and radiance. If vitamin C is deficient, our skin may become dry, rough, and even wrinkled and blemishes.
Causes fatigue and fatigue
Vitamin C plays an important role in energy metabolism, which helps us make better use of the energy in food. If we are deficient in vitamin C, we may feel tired and unable to reach our full potential.
Affects wound healing
Vitamin C helps promote wound healing and tissue repair, which is very important for our good health. If we are deficient in vitamin C, wound healing may become slow and even trigger infection.
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Studies have shown that vitamin C helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, thereby supporting cardiovascular health. If we are deficient in vitamin C, it may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Affects mental health
Vitamin C helps reduce stress and anxiety and promotes a healthy nervous system. If we are deficient in vitamin C, we may experience mood swings, anxiety, and nervousness.
02
What happens to people who have been taking vitamin C for a long time?
Promotes collagen formation
Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in the human body, which not only gives elasticity and luster to the skin, but also participates in the construction and repair of various tissues such as bones, muscles, blood vessels, teeth, etc.
The importance of vitamin C as an essential substance for collagen synthesis is self-evident. When we consume the right amount of vitamin C every day, collagen synthesis in the body will be effectively promoted.
Over time, this continued supplementation will bring significant benefits. The skin will become firmer and more elastic, and the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines will be delayed to a certain extent.
Boosts immunity
Eating one tablet of vitamin C for a long time can boost immunityLong-term consumption of one tablet of vitamin C can enhance immunity, which is a concept that many people are convinced of.
Vitamin C, as an important water-soluble vitamin, does play a vital role in our bodies. Not only is it involved in many metabolic processes in our body, but it is also an integral part of our immune system.
The notion that vitamin C helps boost immunity stems from its positive effects on white blood cells. White blood cells are the main components of our body's immune system, and they are responsible for identifying and destroying invading pathogens. Vitamin C is able to enhance the function of white blood cells, making them more effective against viruses and bacteria, thus improving our immunity.
Slows down aging
Vitamin C is a vital nutrient that plays an important role in every cell of our body. Among them, it is best known for its powerful antioxidant capacity.
Scientific research has found that vitamin C contains up to 36.9% antioxidants, which can effectively improve the activity of collagen in the body after being ingested by the body, and the intake of vitamin C is like injecting a source of vitality into the skin, making it rejuvenate and delay the pace of aging.
In addition, vitamin C also has the ability to inhibit the production of colored substances from metabolites in the body. These colored substances are often the main culprits for the formation of dull skin and dark spots. The intervention of vitamin C can effectively reduce the production of melanin, so that the skin can return to its original brightness and purity. At the same time, it also helps to repair damaged tissue, so that the skin can recover faster when it is damaged, reducing the formation of scars.
Promotes iron absorption
According to an in-depth study published in the internationally renowned journal Food and Function, the strong reducing properties of vitamin C have become the key to its iron absorption. This property allows vitamin C to reduce iron from food to a form that the body can more easily absorb, which in turn supports the production of hemoglobin.
Hemoglobin is a key component in the blood responsible for transporting oxygen, and its production is closely linked to the absorption of iron. Vitamin C indirectly contributes to the production of hemoglobin by promoting the absorption of iron, which helps the body to better fulfill the task of transporting oxygen. This effect is essential for maintaining the normal physiological functions of the body, especially in the prevention of nutritional diseases such as anemia, and vitamin C supplementation is particularly important.
Vitamin C supplementation not only helps to promote iron absorption, but also provides comprehensive nutritional support to the body to help us stay healthy and active in our busy lives.
Reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease
Long-term use of one tablet of vitamin C per day may have a positive effect on reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin C plays an important role in maintaining cardiovascular health as a powerful antioxidant.
Vitamin C helps maintain the integrity and elasticity of blood vessel walls, and it promotes collagen production, which is essential for maintaining the structure and function of blood vessels. Healthy blood vessel walls are better able to resist the formation of atherosclerosis, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In addition to this, vitamin C also has the effect of lowering blood pressure. Studies have shown that moderate intake of vitamin C can dilate blood vessels and improve blood flow, which can lead to lower blood pressure levels. Maintaining low blood pressure over time can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart disease and stroke.
03
Who is prone to vitamin C deficiency? These 4 types of people need to be supplemented
People with an unbalanced diet
Dietary habits have a direct impact on vitamin C intake. People who are picky eaters, picky eaters or dieters often struggle to get a complete and balanced diet, including vitamin C. They may prefer a certain food and ignore other vitamin C-rich food sources, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
Therefore, this group of people needs to pay special attention to increasing vitamin C-rich foods to ensure that the body's vitamin C needs are met.
People who smoke
Smoking accelerates the depletion and loss of vitamin C. When smoking, the chemicals in tobacco react with vitamin C in the body, resulting in a loss of vitamin C.
In addition, smoking also increases the production of free radicals that can damage the body's cells and tissues, while vitamin C has an antioxidant effect that helps scavenge free radicals and protect the body from damage. Therefore, smokers need to increase their vitamin C intake to make up for the loss caused by smoking.
senior citizen
As we age, the body's ability to absorb and metabolize vitamin C gradually declines, and the ability of the elderly to absorb and utilize vitamin C will also weaken.
In addition, the elderly often suffer from some chronic diseases, such as arteriosclerosis, diabetes, etc., which can also affect the body's utilization of vitamin C. Therefore, the elderly need to pay special attention to vitamin C supplementation to maintain good health and immune function.
Pregnant and lactating women
Pregnant and lactating women have relatively high vitamin C requirements. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, the mother needs to provide adequate nutrients for the fetus or baby, including vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential for the growth and development of fetuses and babies, helping to promote the formation of bones, teeth, and blood.
If pregnant and breastfeeding women are deficient in vitamin C, it may affect the health of the fetus and baby. Therefore, this group of people needs to pay special attention to increasing the intake of vitamin C to meet the body's specific needs for vitamin C.
04
Can I take vitamin C every day?
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in our body, such as supporting immune function, helping the body absorb iron, and maintaining healthy skin. As a result, many people consider vitamin C to be a very beneficial nutrient and want to be able to get enough of it through their daily diet or supplements.
However, the question of whether vitamin C can be taken every day is not so simple. Although vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, excessive intake is usually excreted by the body and does not cause serious harm, but long-term excessive intake of vitamin C may also cause certain effects on the body.
05
If you don't take vitamin C reasonably, there may be 4 harms to your body
1. Excessive intake of vitamin C may lead to diarrhea
Although vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that the body can excrete in the urine when excess, large amounts may still irritate the intestines and cause symptoms such as diarrhea. Therefore, we should follow the principle of moderate amount when supplementing vitamin C and avoid excessive intake.
2. Unreasonable consumption of vitamin C may affect the absorption of calcium
Vitamin C helps promote the absorption and utilization of calcium, but if consumed in excess, it may interfere with calcium metabolism and lead to calcium loss. In the long run, this can have adverse effects on bone health.
3. Excessive intake of vitamin C may increase the risk of kidney stones
Vitamin C produces oxalic acid during metabolism, and the combination of oxalic acid with calcium may form calcium oxalate stones, increasing the risk of kidney stones. Therefore, we should pay attention to the balance of vitamin C with other nutrients when supplementing.
4. Unreasonable consumption of vitamin C may cause drug interactions
Certain medications, such as anticoagulants and diuretics, may interact with vitamin C and affect the effectiveness of the drug. Therefore, vitamin C supplementation should be taken with caution while taking these medications.
06
Read more: Vitamin C with seafood, equivalent to eating arsenic?
There is a saying circulating on the Internet that fruits rich in vitamin C should not be eaten at the same time as seafood such as shrimp and crabs, otherwise it will cause arsenic poisoning, which makes people shudder.
It is rumored that seafood such as shrimp and crab contain trace amounts of arsenic, and when combined with vitamin C in fruits, arsenic trioxide, commonly known as arsenic, is formed. It may sound rather scary, but in fact, does this claim really hold water?
We need to understand that the main element of arsenic contained in seafood is organic arsenic. This arsenic element is fundamentally different from what people commonly call inorganic arsenic, such as trivalent arsenic and pentavalent arsenic.
Organic arsenic is widely found in nature, and it is not as harmful to humans as inorganic arsenic. In fact, when the human body ingests organic arsenic, these substances will basically be excreted from the body intact and will not cause harm to the human body.
So, is there really a risk of poisoning from eating fruits rich in vitamin C and seafood such as shrimp and crab at the same time?
Experts say that the fatal intake of arsenic in adults is about 100-300 mg. Based on a minimum of 100 mg, the arsenic content is 75 mg. To achieve this amount, it is necessary to eat 300 catties of shrimp at one time, which is obviously an impossible task, because the average person simply cannot eat so many shrimp.
Therefore, we can conclude that consuming fruits rich in vitamin C and seafood such as shrimp and crab at the same time does not cause poisoning. This claim is just a rumor on the Internet and lacks scientific basis.
In our daily lives, we can enjoy a variety of foods with confidence, and as long as we pay attention to the appropriate amount of combination and moderate intake, it will not cause harm to health. At the same time, we must also learn to distinguish the authenticity of online information and avoid being misled by false rumors.