Vitamin C, also known as "ascorbic acid", still plays a great role in the human body, such as promoting collagen synthesis, enhancing immunity, and preventing colds, which everyone should know.
So what happens to the body of such a "good thing" if a person eats one tablet a day?
Mr. Jiang is a vitamin C "fanatic", he has long known the benefits of vitamin C, so I don't know when he started, he insisted on taking one tablet of vitamin C every day, thinking that this would protect his health, but after a while, he realized that something was wrong.
First of all, he began to have diarrhea and stomach pain, and once he got up and had bleeding gums, which made Mr. Jiang very scared, so he decided to ask the doctor.
How would Mr. Jiang think that after detailed questioning and examination, the doctor found that the reason why he experienced these discomforts may be caused by excessive intake of vitamin C, and the doctor told Mr. Jiang that vitamin C should not be taken blindly.
This statement broke Mr. Jiang's cognition, he thought that everyone needs to supplement vitamin C, and it is best to have as much as possible.
In fact, as soon as the age comes up, the body's demand for nutrients is indeed very important, because the physical functions of the elderly are gradually declining, such as the speed of metabolism, as well as the ability to absorb and utilize nutrients, which will be affected, which everyone must also feel.
At the same time, the elderly are also at risk of a variety of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, etc., the occurrence and development of these diseases are closely related to nutritional deficiencies.
But the doctor said: "Generally speaking, the recommended daily intake of vitamin C for adults is 100 mg, which is the recommendation given by the "Dietary Nutrient Reference Intake for Chinese Residents", and ordinary people usually do not need additional supplements. ”
For example, citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwifruit, green leafy vegetables, etc., these foods are not only rich in vitamin C, but also rich in dietary fiber, which can meet the demand for vitamin C by normal intake on the table every day.
"But why, do I have stomach aches and diarrhea?" Mr. Jiang was a little confused.
The doctor said to Mr. Jiang: "This should be caused by excessive intake of vitamin C, such as stomach pain and bleeding gums, and even kidney stones in severe cases, so it is recommended that people who need to take vitamin C should ask the doctor in advance before taking it." ”
And when eating vitamin C, in addition to paying attention to the amount, you should also pay attention to 1 point - pay attention to the interaction of drugs.
Although vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, it is metabolized quickly in the body, but it may interact with some drugs, thereby affecting the efficacy of the drug, such as when taken with anticoagulant drugs such as aspirin, it may increase the risk of bleeding, and some antibiotics should also be careful, so it is recommended to listen to the doctor's guidance.
In the end, Mr. Jiang still thinks that it is very important for the elderly to supplement nutrition, in addition to this vitamin C, are there any other nutrients that the elderly need to pay special attention to?
The doctor replied: "Nutrition is indeed very important for the elderly, and there are 3 nutrients that you can pay more attention to, namely calcium and dietary fiber." ”
Take calcium as an example, it is recommended that the elderly consume 1000-1200 mg of calcium per day, after all, it is an important component of bones and teeth, and the elderly get older, the bones will gradually become thinner and brittle, and we can also clearly feel that fractures are easy to occur, and if you fall, the recovery may be slower.
Therefore, the elderly can pay more attention to calcium supplementation, and can choose to eat some milk and tofu.
There is also dietary fiber, it is also very important, can help the elderly to prevent constipation and intestinal diseases, a very real problem, the elderly will be able to reduce intestinal peristalsis after aging, it is easy to constipation, at this time you can appropriately increase dietary fiber.
Generally, it is recommended that the elderly consume 25-30 grams of dietary fiber per day, such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.
All in all, we must understand that excessive intake of vitamin C will also bring certain risks, so when taking it, we must master the correct method, and the dosage must be grasped well, and also remind the elderly that they should not only pay attention to the "amount" of the diet, but also pay attention to the unbalanced nutrition and unreasonable structure.
Bibliography:
[1] Lei Ze, & Zhu Hongyou. (2010). Important vitamin intake and bone health in middle-aged and older adults. Chinese Journal of Osteoporosis (12), 4.
[2] Wu Zhi. Family Medicine:Medical Treatment and Drug Selection, 2020(11):82-83.≠