Tuesday, 11 December 2007

Vitamin C myths Exposed!

Vitamin C is known as ascorbic acid as well. It offers a whole slew of benefits to our health. Vitamin C helps in maintaining the balance in ligaments, tendons and other adjacent tissues. It is commonly found in fruits and vegetables such as potatoes. Vitamin C has anti-oxidant property, so it helps us fighting with the symptoms of ageing. Not only that, due to its anti-oxidant property it helps us to preserve healthy blood cells from becoming collapsed from the toxic substances in the air that may even lead to cancer in some cases.

Vitamin C Functions

Vitamin C benefits us a lot. The best benefit offered by vitamin C is collagen formation. Collagen is essentially a protein substance that helps keeping all the cells together. Vitamin C aids in the formation of collagen. Without vitamin C, the formation of collagen is interrupted. Vitamin C is present and active within the cell wall where it aids in modifying pro-collagen into collagen.

Vitamin C benefits in the absorption of iron as well. Iron is essential to keep us healthy and vibrant. It maintains a healthy and clear skin, fresh complexion and healthy gums and teeth. It offers a healthy functioning for all glands and organs including adrenal and thyroid glands. It also aids in relieving all sort of stressors, both physical and psychological.

No research has shown any effective result in treating common cold symptoms by using vitamin C supplements.

Vitamin C Deficiency

So, we can easily understand that vitamin C is important to our health system. Vitamin C benefits in various aspects. A deficiency in vitamin C may result in soft gums, skin hemorrhages, collagen deformation, Achilles' heel, anemia, and slow healing. If your diet lacks vitamin C, you may well find yourself aging a bit quicker than you had hoped!
Deficiency in vitamin C may also lead to weak immune system, so resistance to all diseases becomes very low.

Availability

Mostly you can obtain vitamin C from citrus foods such as oranges, limes and grapefruits. You can get vitamin C benefits from vegetables such as tomatoes, green peppers and potatoes. Apart from that, vitamin C is also available in various foods such as cantaloupes, honeydew melon, red peppers, strawberries, mandarin orange, mangoes and kiwifruits. However, the essential nutrient quality of vitamin C can easily be damaged during food processing. The quality can also be harmed if the vegetables are submerged in the water for a long time. So, it is always better that you use fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables as much as possible to receive maximum vitamin C value.

Precaution

Vitamin C plays a significant role in a healthy diet. However, excess intake is not at all recommended. If you take it in excessive amounts, it may cause harm to health.

So for a lifetime of fitness and health make sure that vitamin C is included in your diet...........but don't overdo it!!

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