Life Benefits of Vitamin C
Ascorbic acid (ascorbate), also commonly known as Vitamin C, is an organic compound produced by many kinds of plants and animals, but not by humans and other primates.
However, because ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for us, we must eat foods that are rich in Vitamin C if we are to remain healthy.
Its absence in our daily diet leads to the medical condition known as scurvy.
Scurvy is recognizable by a number of symptoms such as "liver spots" on the skin of one's legs and thighs, a spongy feeling to the gums, and frequent bleeding from the mucous membranes in the nose and mouth.
In addition, a person with scurvy looks pale and depressed.
As the condition worsens, teeth may be lost and there will be open, seeping wounds on the body.
Without the addition of Vitamin C to the diet, the individual will eventually die.
Although the symptoms of scurvy are caused by a lack of Vitamin C in the diet, the reason that an individual might have bleeding gums or open sores on their legs is that collagen synthesis has stopped in that person's body.
Our bodies need Vitamin C in order to produce the collagen, which is a key connective tissue in skin, blood vessels, and mucosal membranes.
Without collagen we fall apart, literally.
Ascorbic acid also plays other vital roles in human metabolism that do not involve collagen synthesis.
For example, it is an antioxidant.
As such, it is used as a partner (cofactor) of specific enzymes (proteins) that are key players in the manufacture of yet another kind of protein called gammaglobulin.
It is this final molecule, gammaglobulin, that is a key component of our immune system.
In this indirect way, Vitamin C in our diet is essential to a healthy immune system.
This is one of the reasons that the Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling thought one should have a high dose of Vitamin C in his or her diet to prevent one from catching a cold.
At the time a person is exposed to the cold virus, the body begins producing gammaglobulin molecules in massive quantities in order to fight the cold virus.
Dietary Sources of Vitamin C: Most kinds of plants produce some Vitamin C, but there are a few that make extraordinary amounts.
For example, there is a plant called the Kakadu Plum that is common across the northern tropical regions of Australia.
At 3,100 milligrams of ascorbate per 100 grams of plant tissue, it tops the charts for ascorbic acid concentration in plant tissue.
The fruits of the wild rose of North America, known as rose hips, rank number three at 2,000 milligrams of ascorbate per 100 grams of tissue.
By comparison, the fruits of limes, lemons, and oranges have between 30 to 50 milligrams of ascorbate per 100 grams of fruit tissue.
Eating one of these fruits every day provides enough Vitamin C to prevent scurvy.
In fact, during the 1800's, American and Canadian sailors began calling their British counterparts "limeys" because sailors in the British navy were given daily servings of lime juice collected from the lime tree orchards owned by Great Britain on their islands in the Caribbean.
Although a consensus has not been reached regarding how much Vitamin C should be included in our daily diets, American nutritionists recommend 75 mg per day for adult woman and 90 mg per day for adult males (National Academy of Sciences).
The United Kingdom recommends 40 mg per day for both men and women (Food Standards Agency).
The World Health Organization suggests an adult dosage of 45 mg per day and Health Canada recommends 60 mg per day.
Whichever dosage turns out to be most accurate, if you see "liver spots" on your thighs and your gums begin to bleed easily, head for the closest pharmacy to buy a bottle of Vitamin C as your first line of defense.
However, because ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for us, we must eat foods that are rich in Vitamin C if we are to remain healthy.
Its absence in our daily diet leads to the medical condition known as scurvy.
Scurvy is recognizable by a number of symptoms such as "liver spots" on the skin of one's legs and thighs, a spongy feeling to the gums, and frequent bleeding from the mucous membranes in the nose and mouth.
In addition, a person with scurvy looks pale and depressed.
As the condition worsens, teeth may be lost and there will be open, seeping wounds on the body.
Without the addition of Vitamin C to the diet, the individual will eventually die.
Although the symptoms of scurvy are caused by a lack of Vitamin C in the diet, the reason that an individual might have bleeding gums or open sores on their legs is that collagen synthesis has stopped in that person's body.
Our bodies need Vitamin C in order to produce the collagen, which is a key connective tissue in skin, blood vessels, and mucosal membranes.
Without collagen we fall apart, literally.
Ascorbic acid also plays other vital roles in human metabolism that do not involve collagen synthesis.
For example, it is an antioxidant.
As such, it is used as a partner (cofactor) of specific enzymes (proteins) that are key players in the manufacture of yet another kind of protein called gammaglobulin.
It is this final molecule, gammaglobulin, that is a key component of our immune system.
In this indirect way, Vitamin C in our diet is essential to a healthy immune system.
This is one of the reasons that the Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling thought one should have a high dose of Vitamin C in his or her diet to prevent one from catching a cold.
At the time a person is exposed to the cold virus, the body begins producing gammaglobulin molecules in massive quantities in order to fight the cold virus.
Dietary Sources of Vitamin C: Most kinds of plants produce some Vitamin C, but there are a few that make extraordinary amounts.
For example, there is a plant called the Kakadu Plum that is common across the northern tropical regions of Australia.
At 3,100 milligrams of ascorbate per 100 grams of plant tissue, it tops the charts for ascorbic acid concentration in plant tissue.
The fruits of the wild rose of North America, known as rose hips, rank number three at 2,000 milligrams of ascorbate per 100 grams of tissue.
By comparison, the fruits of limes, lemons, and oranges have between 30 to 50 milligrams of ascorbate per 100 grams of fruit tissue.
Eating one of these fruits every day provides enough Vitamin C to prevent scurvy.
In fact, during the 1800's, American and Canadian sailors began calling their British counterparts "limeys" because sailors in the British navy were given daily servings of lime juice collected from the lime tree orchards owned by Great Britain on their islands in the Caribbean.
Although a consensus has not been reached regarding how much Vitamin C should be included in our daily diets, American nutritionists recommend 75 mg per day for adult woman and 90 mg per day for adult males (National Academy of Sciences).
The United Kingdom recommends 40 mg per day for both men and women (Food Standards Agency).
The World Health Organization suggests an adult dosage of 45 mg per day and Health Canada recommends 60 mg per day.
Whichever dosage turns out to be most accurate, if you see "liver spots" on your thighs and your gums begin to bleed easily, head for the closest pharmacy to buy a bottle of Vitamin C as your first line of defense.
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