Many of us do what we can to boost our immune system and stay healthy. The fact that vitamin C is important for protecting our immune system is widely known, but there are many other lesser known benefits that this essential vitamin brings.
So why exactly is vitamin C so important, what are its functions, and how can we make sure we’re getting enough?
Here’s everything you need to know about vitamin C.
What is vitamin C?
Vitamin C is a nutrient that’s essential for our health. Also called L-ascorbic acid and ascorbic acid, it’s one of the most talked about vitamins, and is linked with many powerful health benefits.
Humans – unlike other animals – aren’t able to produce vitamin C by themselves, which means we need to get our vitamin C from either food or supplements. And, because vitamin C is water-soluble, this means our body isn’t able to store it. So, to stay healthy it’s important that we make sure we’re getting enough each day.
While vitamin C is often heralded as the best cure for the common cold, we don’t yet have concrete scientific evidence for this.
Why is vitamin C so important?
While we may not be sure whether vitamin C can actually cure a cold, there’s no denying that it has many impressive benefits.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the reasons why vitamin C is so important for our health.
1. Vitamin C may reduce the risk of chronic disease
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and many of its benefits are linked to its antioxidant properties.
Antioxidants are natural molecules that help to neutralise free radicals – harmful molecules that can create a state called oxidative stress.
Science associates oxidative stress with many chronic diseases, like cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, Parkinson’s disease, and arthritis.
Because research shows that vitamin C can boost your blood antioxidant levels by up to 30%, this not only helps your body fight inflammation, but can also reduce the risk of chronic disease.
2. Vitamin C may reduce the risk of heart disease
After dementia and Alzheimer’s, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the UK. There are many factors that increase a person’s risk of developing heart disease, like having high blood pressure, high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
One comprehensive meta-analysis that looked at more than 290,000 participants found that after 10 years, the people who took at least a 700mg dose of vitamin C every day were 25% less likely to develop heart disease than participants who didn’t take a vitamin C supplement.
A second review of 15 studies found that consuming vitamin C directly from food instead of supplements was linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
Another meta-analysis of 13 studies examined the effects of taking 500mg of vitamin C each day and found that it reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol by 7.9 mg/dL – which is a significant amount.
3. Vitamin C may help manage high blood pressure
As we’ve just seen, having high blood pressure is one of the major risk factors of heart disease – and research shows that vitamin C may help lower blood pressure. One study of animals found that vitamin C helped to relax the blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart, which in turn helped lower blood pressure levels.
A meta-analysis of 29 human studies also found that taking a vitamin C supplement reduced blood pressure. However, while these results look promising, we don’t know yet whether the effects are long-term.
4. Vitamin C can help prevent iron deficiency
If you have low iron levels, consuming more vitamin C may also help prevent iron deficiency. Research shows that vitamin C helps improve the absorption of iron. And you don’t have to consume a lot to reap the benefits as studies have revealed that just consuming 100mg of vitamin C can improve iron absorption by 67%.
Because of these results, vitamin C may be very valuable in the fight against anaemia. One study of 65 children with iron deficiency anaemia found that vitamin C supplements alone raised their blood iron levels and helped to improve their anaemia.
5. Vitamin C may protect your brain as you age
Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK, and there are currently around 850,000 people living with dementia. This number is estimated to rise to 1.6 million by 2040. Research suggests that oxidative stress and inflammation near the central nervous system can increase the risk of developing dementia.
We know that vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, and science has linked having low levels of vitamin C with a decreased ability to think and remember. Other studies have shown that people with dementia often have lower blood levels of vitamin C, while having high vitamin C levels has been found to protect our ability to think and remember as we get older.
While it does seem like vitamin C could potentially protect our brain against conditions like dementia, more research is needed before we can draw definitive conclusions regarding the effect of vitamin C on the nervous system.
6. Vitamin C can boost immunity
Last but not least, there’s the health benefit that vitamin C is most known for: the fact that it can boost your immune system. Vitamin C plays a vital role in keeping our immune system strong and healthy.
Firstly, it helps our bodies produce white blood cells called lymphocytes and phagocytes, which our bodies use to fight against infection. It also enables these white blood cells to work more efficiently, while at the same time protecting them from being damaged by harmful molecules like free radicals.
Vitamin C also plays a key role in protecting our skin, because it acts as an antioxidant and can reinforce the barriers that protect it. Research also suggests that vitamin C may help wounds to heal.
In general, having low levels of vitamin C is linked to poor health. For example, studies show that people suffering from pneumonia usually have lower levels of vitamin C, and taking vitamin C supplements can reduce their recovery time.
How can we get enough vitamin C?
So, now we know why vitamin C is so important, how can we make sure we’re getting enough?
According to the NHS, adults need at least 40 – 60mg of vitamin C a day – and because our bodies can’t store vitamin C, we need to make sure we get it from our diet every day. Luckily, we should be able to get all the vitamin C we need by eating a healthy balanced diet.
The best sources of vitamin C are fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s important to be aware that the vitamin C in food can be easily destroyed by heat, so eating raw fruit and veg is a good way to ensure you’re getting the maximum amount of the good stuff.
But more specifically, what are some of the best food sources of vitamin C in terms of the amount of vitamin C they provide?
- Red pepper, 1/2 cup (75g) – 95mg
- Orange juice, 3/4 cup (177ml) – 93mg
- Kiwifruit, 1/2 cup (90g) – 64mg
- Green pepper, 1/2 cup (75g) – 60mg
- Broccoli, cooked, 1/2 cup (78g) – 51mg
- Strawberries, fresh, 1/2 cup (72g) – 49mg
- Brussels sprouts, cooked, 1/2 cup (81g) – 48mg
Other good sources of vitamin C include grapefruit, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, spinach, and other green, leafy vegetables.
Because most of us are able to get enough vitamin C from our diet, there often isn’t a need for people to take vitamin C supplements. However, if you struggle to get enough vitamin C from your diet, then it’s worth speaking to your GP about the possibility of taking a supplement.
When taking supplements, it’s important to be aware that taking large amounts of vitamin C (more than 1,000mg per day) can cause stomach pain, diarrhoea, and flatulence. But, taking less than 1,000mg is unlikely to cause any harm.
You can purchase vitamin C supplements from your local pharmacy, Holland & Barrett, and Amazon.
Final thoughts…
Vitamin C is a vital nutrient that’s linked with many powerful health benefits, like improving antioxidant levels, lowering blood pressure, improving iron absorption, reducing heart disease, lowering the risk of dementia, and boosting your immune system.
While most of us should be able to get all the vitamin C we need from eating a healthy, balanced diet that contains lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, vitamin C supplements can further help boost your vitamin C levels. Though you should speak to your GP before beginning to take any supplements.
For more information on essential vitamins and minerals, head over to the diet and nutrition section of our website.
