Vitamin C: the all-rounder among vitamins

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is found primarily in fruits and vegetables. Since the vitamin is essential for the human organism, an adequate supply of vitamin C is a decisive factor for health.

Vitamin C is the best known and one of the most important vitamins for the human body, which is required for numerous vital processes. Also known as ascorbic acid, the vitamin is found in high doses in fruits and vegetables. However, many people also take vitamin C in supplement form.

What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is the best known of all vitamins. It is a readily water-soluble, colorless and odorless solid with a sour taste. Vitamin C is also known to many people under its scientific name “ascorbic acid”. The name derives from the combination of the Latin name of the scurvy disease (scorbutus) and the negative prefix a-. Since vitamin C prevents scurvy, it is therefore known in the art as an “antiscorbutic” acid.

Where is vitamin C found? [Tabel]

Vitamin C is very widely distributed in human foods. Fruit and vegetables in particular and the products made from them, such as juices or smoothies, are rich in ascorbic acid. However, the vitamin C content of food depends on the time of harvest, transport, storage and preparation of the respective food. Vitamin C can be lost under the influence of oxygen or high temperatures. While foods of plant origin are generally high in vitamin C, foods of animal origin generally do not contain ascorbic acid.

What is the average daily dose?

The recommended daily dose of vitamin C depends on a person’s age and gender. The reason for this is that body weight plays a role in the metabolism of vitamin C. The official reference value for adults is 95 mg for women and 110 mg for men. Infants and children up to four years of age should consume 20 mg of ascorbic acid daily. The recommended daily dose gradually increases to 85 mg in adolescents aged 13 to 15 years.

Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers have an increased vitamin requirement, so the daily recommended amount is 105 mg for pregnant women and 125 mg for breastfeeding women. Smokers also have an approximately 40 percent higher vitamin requirement due to higher metabolic losses and a generally lower vitamin C concentration in the blood. Therefore, a daily intake of 135 mg (women) or 155 mg (men) is recommended for them.

Vitamin C deficiency is practically non-existent in industrialized countries. Clinical vitamin C deficiency diseases are scurvy in adults and Moeller-Barlow disease in infants. Typical symptoms of scurvy are poor wound healing, a tendency to bleed, joint pain, infections and tooth loss. Because of these symptoms, scurvy used to be called “seafarers’ disease”. In infants, a vitamin C deficiency manifests itself primarily through impaired bone formation.

The intake of about one gram of high-dose vitamin per day in addition to food is harmless. At higher doses, however, temporary gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea can occur. Above all, people with kidney damage and a predisposition to urinary or kidney stones should pay attention to vitamin C intake that may be harmful to them.

What are the tasks and functions of vitamin C in the body?

Vitamin C is a true all-rounder that supports numerous vital functions in the human organism. Ascorbic acid is best known for strengthening the immune system and thus supporting the body in defending itself against pathogens. In addition, vitamin C is an important antioxidant. It scavenges free radicals in the blood, brain and body cells, preventing them from damaging cells and tissues. In addition, vitamin C strengthens the connective tissue by “welding” protein and other substances into collagen fibers, which are not only responsible for the elasticity of skin, ligaments, tendons and blood vessels, but also determine the strength of teeth and bones.

The threefold vascular protection function of vitamin C is particularly important in this context. Firstly, the antioxidant properties of vitamin C protect the vessels. Secondly, the collagen formed with the help of the vitamin ensures the elasticity of the vessel walls. And thirdly, vitamin C even has a blood-thinning effect and thus prevents cardiovascular diseases.

Another important function of vitamin C is hormone formation. The vitamin is involved in processes in the brain that are essential for the effectiveness of certain hormones. Last but not least, vitamin C also has a detoxifying effect as it activates liver enzymes that are needed to break down toxins.

What is the best way for the body to absorb vitamin C?

Vitamin C can be easily absorbed by the human body by eating fruit and vegetables. Daily consumption of several servings of fruit and vegetables is recommended. In order to retain as much vitamin C as possible, food should be washed thoroughly, but only briefly. Vegetables should also only be steamed for a short time in order to keep vitamin losses to a minimum.

In addition to food, many people nowadays also take ascorbic acid in the form of vitamin C effervescent tablets or capsules. New technologies such as liposomal vitamin C or buffered vitamin C ensure that the vitamin can be better absorbed by the human body and that it is also well tolerated by people with a sensitive stomach.