Vitamin C also known as ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that is present in some foods. While most animals can naturally make vitamin C themselves, humans cannot make it so it is essential to have vitamin C in your diet. Vitamin C is crucial for biosynthesis for collagen, L-carnitine, and certain neurotransmitters. Collagen is the main structural protein in the body’s connection tissues and wound healing. Vitamin C has been shown to regenerate other antioxidants in your body. Vitamin C can also delay or prevent some cancers, cardiovascular disease, and other diseases which relate to oxidative stress. Vitamin C also plays a role in immune function.
The recommended amount of vitamin C, for an adult, is 65-90 mg per day. To put that into perspective an orange has about 50 mg. Adverse side effects when consuming too much vitamin C will start to happen at about 2000 mg which is about 2 grams this is about 40 oranges. Side effects include diarrhea, nausea, and heartburn. Lack of vitamin C on the other hand gives you a condition which has been named Scurvy. Symptoms of scurvy include weakness, irritation/sadness, swollen or bleeding gums, red and blue spots on your skin, and having skin that bruises easily. The treatment for Scurvy is consuming foods containing vitamin C or supplements. However, very few people have this disease because people usually incorporate vitamin C into their diet.
Speaking of foods with vitamin C; some foods you can eat to intake your daily dose of vitamin C mostly consist of fruits and vegetables. Some of these foods include guavas, strawberries, bell peppers, citrus fruits, cooked broccoli, tomatoes, pineapple, and more… In conclusion, vitamin C is a vitamin that helps with teeth and the immune system.
SOURCES:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/vitamin-c-foods.php
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/
