Vitamin C: The all-round vitamin of worldwide renown
The C vitamin is the world's best-known vitamin with a long and popular history. In this article you will learn everything you need to know about its properties, effects and benefits in the ageing process. You will also learn ways to cover your daily vitamin C requirement. Because if you don't have vitamin C, you won't have much to look forward to. About the most interesting vitamin known to mankind...
What is vitamin C and why is it so famous?
Vitamin C is also called L-ascorbic acid and has relatively many related compounds. Although these are similar to vitamin C, they are less effective in our body. (cf. de Groot, 2001) Humans derive the full benefit from vitamin C, which the body cannot produce itself. This means that we have to take vitamin C with our food.
Why compulsory?
Because vitamin C fulfils an impressive number of vital functions. In addition to these, the vitamin is also important for a multitude of other processes that are beneficial to health. It is in this function that vitamin C made it to prominence centuries ago.
Perhaps you have already heard of the "sailor's disease" scurvy?
This occurs as a vitamin C deficiency and can be fatal. This is exactly what happened in the 16th century when Magellan's fleet lost 243 of 265 men (!) during the first circumnavigation of the world. The remaining 22 men left the ship seriously ill in Seville on 8 September 1522. Since then, scurvy has cost masses of lives until the time of the 18th century. (cf. Kofrányi & Wirths, 1960)
The tasks - Why is vitamin C so important?
A look at the functions of the vitamin never ceases to amaze. It is hard to imagine, but in fact the following multitude of functions can be safely assigned to the vitamin nowadays (cf. F.A. Brockhaus, 2008):
- Tightening of our connective tissue
- Protection of the immune system
- Promotion of iron absorption
- Protection against free radicals
- Reduction of the risk of cancer
- Keeping the skin & gums healthy
- Assist in the release of numerous hormones
- Help in the formation of bone & cartilage tissue
- Support of other vitamins
It would go beyond the scope of this article to go into all these points in detail. Therefore, only a few brief explanations of the vitamin that are relevant in advancing age will follow.
One of these is the connective tissue: Surely you have the dream of having firm and fresh-looking skin even in old age? In this case, vitamin C will absolutely help you. This happens because vitamin C helps the body to produce so-called collagen from the precursor protolagen. (cf. de Groot, 2001) This collagen in turn is what you know as connective tissue and what gives you firm skin.
Besides tightening the connective tissue, vitamin C helps to build new cells, which is important for keeping the skin and gums healthy.
Also worth highlighting: The protection against free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that are particularly reactive and trigger reactions in unfavourable places. This can damage entire structures in the human body. This is how many vascular damages and, in the long run, fatal diseases arise.
So why is vitamin C so important?
Vitamin C is so essential for us humans because it is necessary for survival. If other vitamins are lacking, this becomes less noticeable and, above all, more slowly. However, if vitamin C is missing, you can expect fast and nasty chain reactions in the entire body.
The sources - Where do you find vitamin C and why do you have to watch out especially in old age?
Vitamin C is mainly found in fruit and vegetables. There is also enough vitamin C in potatoes. The presence of vitamin C in potatoes was an important reason for the elimination of scurvy as a mass disease. For when the potato became a mass foodstuff, the incidence of scurvy decreased sharply. (cf. Kofrányi & Wirths, 1960).
However, we still identify two problems for ageing people: Namely, fruits and vegetables are eaten less frequently with increasing age. The reason for this is that it is often difficult to chew these foods. Since older people have an increasingly weaker chewing ability, they often give up fruit and vegetables as a result. As far as potatoes are concerned, on the one hand the vitamin content is reduced due to storage times. On the other hand, cooking potatoes at very high temperatures also reduces the vitamin content.
For this reason, as you get older, you must make sure that you keep your diet varied and include plenty of fruit and vegetables, despite chewing problems. To counteract chewing problems, you can puree your food. Alternatively, you can take dietary supplements.
Among the natural foods, the following are possible sources of vitamin C (cf. de Groot, 2002):
- Liver
- Lamb's lettuce
- Green and white cabbage
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
- Oranges
- Strawberries
- Rosehip (a real vitamin C bomb!)
- Red & blackcurrants
It should be very reassuring for you that relatively many of the foods mentioned are easy to chew. For this reason, a varied diet with these foods should be able to promote your health easily and significantly.
Your daily requirement - How much vitamin C do you need?
In accordance with many other sources, according to F.A. Brockhaus (2008), a daily requirement of 100 mg vitamin C can be established for healthy adults. It is therefore the vitamin our body needs the most of. In addition, pregnant women, nursing mothers and smokers have a higher requirement. This is about 150 mg of vitamin C daily. (cf. de Groot, 2001)
Symptoms of deficiency or overdose - When does "too little" or "too much" become noticeable?
Let's start with the easiest: too much vitamin C is harmless to health. All that can happen is diarrhoea and frequent urination. (cf. F.A. Brockhaus, 2008) As far as an undersupply is concerned, the lack of vitamin C will become clearly apparent. This happens slowly at first with the following symptoms (cf. Kasper, 2014):
- Reduced performance
- Fatigue
- Listlessness
- Delayed wound healing
- Susceptibility to infections
If there is a permanent and severe lack of vitamin C, there is a risk of scurvy or Möller-Barlow's disease (scurvy in children). This becomes drastically noticeable through bleeding gums, broken teeth, skeletal changes, bleeding in the intestines and urinary tract as well as numerous other manifestations. (cf. Kofrányi & Wirths, 1960)
Conclusion
It should now be clear to you what vitamin C is all about. The vitamin is justifiably notorious and is responsible for our survival in the long term. Since a deficiency can occur, especially in old age, it is advisable to make a wise selection of foods or to supplement the diet with the appropriate products.
