Benefits of Vitamin C

Vitamin C has got to be the most widely known vitamin these days. It is not surprising because the body requires vitamin C for over 300 functions. In fact, the vitamin C has been proved to help protect against heart disease, cancer and other serious illnesses. Without this vitamin the body would not be able to heal itself either. This is because vitamin C is vital in the formation of collagen. Whenever a person has a cut or an injury it is the collagen that helps to repair the damage and without sufficient vitamin C this would be almost impossible. Collagen has a multitude of functions in the body, including keeping the organs in place, and it would not be able to do this without sufficient vitamin C.

Vitamin C is also an antioxidant for the body and helps other vitamins and minerals to be absorbed better. Folic acid and iron, for example, need vitamin C to maximize their usefulness. The more vitamin C that the body has, the better its defenses against colds and other common ailments. Although vitamin C may not prevent a person from catching a virus, it does appear to speed up the recovery process.

There is vitamin C in almost every fruit and vegetable but some have far higher vitamin C content than others. Cranberries and melons have high vitamin C content. In fact, tropical fruits have the highest vitamin C content of all fruit. Hot peppers are amongst the richest sources of vitamin C when it comes to vegetables. The hotter the pepper, the higher its vitamin C content is. Unfortunately, vitamin C is water soluble so many vegetables lose their effectiveness as a vitamin provider if they are boiled for a long time. Steaming or quick stir frying vegetables ensures that more of their vitamin content is retained. The recommended daily amount of vitamin C is easily obtained from eating five portions of fruits and vegetables a day if they are consumed raw or cooked quickly.

Vitamin C supplements are extremely useful to ensure that people obtain sufficient amounts. However, with a balanced diet the amount of vitamin C the body receives is likely to be sufficient. However, if a person begins feeling tired or lethargic then a vitamin C supplement will help overcome this. There is no danger of having too much vitamin C as the body simply excretes the excess.