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Our body needs various nutrients for efficient functioning. Vitamins form an integral part of these nutrients. Vitamins are classified into different types based on their solubility. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble vitamins. Whereas, Vitamin C, Vitamin B- complex are all water soluble vitamins. Vitamin C is also known as Ascorbic Acid and L ascorbic acid. The article is about the amazing benefits of Vitamin C.
If a vitamin is not fat-soluble, then it is classified as one of the water-soluble vitamins, which are vitamins that dissolve in water. Because your body is a watery environment, these vitamins can move through your body pretty easily, and they can also be flushed out in your urine with ease. So, your body does not store water-soluble vitamins, and you need to replenish them daily. The recommended dietary allowance RDA of vitamin C is subjective and varies as per age gender and activities in which we indulge ourselves in.
11 Most Prominent Benefits of Vitamin C-
1. Vitamin C is an antioxidant:
Vitamin C is a very strong antioxidant. It may be crucially important for strengthening your body’s defense needs. It supports the repair of the tissues of your body. Antioxidants are powerful molecules that prevent the oxidation of free radicals in your body. As your body performs various life functions, a lot of chemical reactions take place. While it undergoes these reactions, there are free radicals of various compounds that may be created. These radicals, when oxidized may at times multiply to form tumors. The antioxidants in your body help in cutting down the radicals by preventing them from getting oxidized.
This is also how your fatal diseases like cancer is prevented. Cancer is nothing but abnormal growth of cancerous cells which are formed due to oxidization of free radicals in your body. When oxidization is prevented, the chances of cancer also reduce drastically. Antioxidants also keep diseases like heart ailments and high blood pressure at bay from your body.
2. Helps in Preventing High Blood Pressure:
High Blood Pressure or hypertension as it may be variably called, is a condition when the blood gushes through your blood streams with greater force than normal. High blood pressure situation makes your arteries get over worked and thus spoils their efficiency. A persisting condition of high blood pressure may lead to various other problems like stroke, paralytic attacks and even death. Having a reading of 120/80 is considered to be a normal blood pressure graph. If you have blood pressure more than 140/90 for a considerably long time, then you have a problem of high blood pressure that needs medication to be brought under control.
Now the role of Vitamin C is remarkable to such a patient. The blood pressure levels have shown to get lower to those who have consumed vitamin C. Studies suggest that Vitamin C relaxes the nerves carrying blood in our body and hence prevents high blood pressure problems.
3. Vitamin C prevents Scurvy:
Vitamin C deficiency leads to Scurvy. Scurvy is a medical condition that may give rise to weakness, anemia, gum disease and also skin problems. Vitamin C is important for the synthesis of collagen. Collagen is an important component of our connective tissues. Connective tissues, as the name suggests, is important for the structure and support of our body including the structure of our blood vessels.
4. Potentially Fights the risk of Heart Diseases:
Heart disease is one of the leading cause of death among people these days. The occurrence of a heart attack gravely depends upon the levels of good and bad cholesterol. Vitamin C reduces the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood stream which prevents the streams from being clogged. If the streams are not clogged, the blood flow will be optimal in the streams and the risk of heart attack is prevented.
An analysis of 13 studies looked at the impact of taking at least 500 mg/day of vitamin C on risk factors for heart disease, such as blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The analysis also found that taking a vitamin C supplement significantly reduced “bad” LDL cholesterol by approximately 7.9 mg/dl and blood triglycerides by 20.1 mg/dl
You may not need to take vitamin C supplements if your diet is enriched with foods containing Vitamin C.
5. Vitamin C Enhances the quality of the Skin:
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant. These antioxidants treat the damage caused by skin burns and tans. The harmful UV rays from the sun could cause grave and serious diseases like Skin Cancer too. The antioxidants in Vitamin C prevent free radicals from invading the skin tissues and as a result, skin cancer is prevented. It also reverses the effects of skin aging like fine lines and blemishes. There are various Vitamin C serums for face skin available.
6. Reduces Uric Acid Levels and Prevents Gout Attack:
Gout is a type of arthritis typically characterized by pains in your joints. It is incredibly painful and involves inflammation of the joints, especially those of the big toes. People with gout experience swelling and sudden, severe attacks of pain. It happens when too much uric acid is accumulated in your blood. With severely rising levels, it may also crystalize and deposit itself in the joints. Vitamin C supplements have been recorded to reduce uric acid levels in the blood thus providing relief to the problem of gout.
7. Vitamin C improves Iron Absorption:
Iron is extremely essential for our body. It is required for the synthesis of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is present in the red blood cells of your blood and perform the primary function of transportation of oxygen to the various parts of your body. A deficiency of iron cause low hemoglobin levels which in turn leads to problems like anemia. To solve this condition, it is not only important to have food with high Iron content but also important to check if the iron is being absorbed into our blood streams for the formation of hemoglobin. Iron absorption is enabled by Vitamin C. You thus need optimal levels of vitamin C in order to avoid problems like Iron Deficiency Anemia.
8. Vitamin C Enhances the Function of White Blood Cells:
Vitamin C supplements are prescribed to people with low levels of immunity. Vitamin C helps encourage the production of white blood cells known as lymphocytes and phagocytes, which help protect the body against infections. It also protects the White Blood Cells from being attacked by free radicals. Vitamin C is an essential part of the skin’s defense system. Thus, Vitamin C performs all round functions of synthesis, protection and also repairing of the vital cells of your body, enhancing your immune system.
9. Vitamin C protects Memory:
The actions of free radicals also target the cells of your brain thus leading to problems associated to memory like dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. These free radicals need to be destroyed to prevent your memory from aging. Low levels of Vitamin C also lead to dementia. Thus vitamin C, an antioxidant, is extremely vital to protect your memory.
10. Protects against Eye Diseases:
Vitamin C’s antioxidant properties also help your eyes from developing problems like cataract. Cataract is caused due to the action of free radicals on your eyes. They lead to blurred vision. Vitamin C beats these ions from affecting your eyes and prevents from vision related problems.
11. Vitamin C for Cancer:
Various types of cancer have just one cause of affecting a person that is formation and growth of cancerous cells in the particular organ. Cancer cells can be beaten with antioxidants. Those who have been manifested with Vitamin C supplements have shown to attain quicker healing effects while undergoing therapies to treat cancer. However, more comprehensive research needs to be made to ascertain the role of Vitamin C in fighting Cancer.
After having understood the importance of Vitamin C, it becomes more enjoyable to eat food items containing this nutrient. If you feel you are suffering from Vitamin C deficiency, consult a doctor for the same. He is going to be the best person to suggest you with any kind of supplementary medications for your deficiency.
