What is vitamin C?
Ascorbic acid, also known as Vitamin C, is arguably the most popular antioxidant vitamins.
It works as a reducing agent since L-ascorbic acid transforms into Dehydro L-ascorbic acid, which means it donates electrons to stabilize oxidative molecules.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant, and your body can easily limit its absorption in your gastrointestinal tract. It's susceptible to oxidative stress caused by environmental factors, so it gets deactivated if not stored properly.
Thanks to its antioxidant properties, ascorbic acid can neutralize free radicals, reducing their damage and lowering oxidative stress in your body. Free radicals play a role in inflammation, heart disease, metabolic problems, and even the development of certain types of cancers.
Neutralizing free radicals can help minimize the collateral damage of inflammation, boost immunity, and reduce DNA damage.
Other roles of vitamin C also include as a reducing agent for many enzymes in the human body which synthesize vital molecules. Examples include:
- neurotransmitters - serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine
- connective tissue - collagen
- metabolic compounds - carnitine
Furthermore, the vitamin has a favorable effect on the gastrointestinal system by boosting iron absorption and preventing the transformation of nitrates into nitrosamines.
Nitrates can help supply your body with nitrogen to produce vasodilators like nitric oxide (NO). NO causes blood vessels to widen, lowers blood pressure, and stimulates the release of certain hormones, such as insulin and human growth hormone.
However, it is crucial to prevent the transformation of nitrates into nitrosamines since studies link the latter to cancer (1).
On the other hand, plant foods rich in nitrates do not increase cancer risk because they contain antioxidants such as vitamin C, preventing conversion.
Yet, processed meat and other artificial food sources of nitrates do not contain any vitamin C, and scientists have linked them to an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancers.
Benefits of vitamin C
Vitamin C is most famous for its benefits against infectious diseases such as the common cold and other upper respiratory conditions.
Although the research suggests that supplementing with the antioxidant will not prevent the occurrence of a common cold, there is some evidence that taking vitamin C at more than 200 mg a day may help to treat the common cold by shortening the duration of the symptoms up to 12% (2).
Besides, ascorbic acid has significant benefits beyond immune function and inflammation. It may help reduce oxidative stress, lower blood pressure, slow down atherosclerosis, prevent iron deficiency, and improve skin health.
Can vitamin C improve your cardiovascular health?
High blood pressure is one of the most significant risk factors for heart disease.
Studies suggest that vitamin C may also help to reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease by increasing the production of vasodilators in your body and prevent vascular dysfunction (3, 4).
In combination with its weak diuretic effects, scientists have discovered that long-term supplementation with at least 500 mg of vitamin C can lead to a slight reduction in blood pressure (5).
In addition, evidence suggests that the antioxidant effect of vitamin C may help reduce the oxidation of LDL. (6). Oxidized LDL is one factor that contributes to atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Can Vitamin C help combat anemia?
Vitamin C can help combat a specific type of anemia called iron deficiency or microcytic anemia. Ascorbic acid improves the condition by boosting nonheme iron absorption.
Nonheme iron can be found in plant foods and has extremely poor bioavailability. In contrast, heme iron comes from animal products and is considerably better absorbed in the human gut.
The antioxidant ensures that the nonheme iron does not oxidize, significantly improving its bioavailability in the human gastrointestinal tract.
Studies report that consuming 100 mg of vitamin C may improve iron absorption by 67% (7). This can help normalize iron absorption and low levels of serum iron in patients with microcytic anemia.
For example, one trial in children reported that supplementation with ascorbic acid alone was sufficient to control mild iron deficiency anemia (8).
Can Vitamin C improve wrinkled skin and wound healing?
Vitamin C is crucial for your connective tissue's normal function and healing. It is the primary antioxidant in your skin. Its central role there is to ensure the normal formation of collagen.
Wrinkling is caused by the reduction in the collagen levels in the skin, and vitamin C is of utmost importance for its normal regeneration. Besides, smoking and UV light exposure depletes your vitamin C levels in the skin and speeds up skin aging.
According to a nutritional survey of more than 4 000 women, higher oral vitamin C intakes were associated with a lower likelihood of a wrinkled appearance (9).
Skin healing also depends on the speed at which new collagen can form. In one clinical trial, patients with pressure sores treated with ascorbic acid experienced double the improvement seen in the placebo group (10).
A more recent study investigating the effect of vitamin C in combination with zinc and arginine also showed significant benefits for healing pressure ulcers (11).
In addition, collagen supplementation can further enhance skin healing. For example, collagen peptides can stimulate the production of hyaluronic acids in the skin and thus increase its hydration.
Scientists have revealed that collagen supplementation can stimulate the production of stronger collagen fibers (12).
Furthermore, adding collagen to your routine can stimulate the growth and migration of fibroblasts (13). Those progenitor cells play a crucial role in skin healing and repair after any damage.
Thus, vitamin C and collagen supplementation have several benefits for your skin, including anti-aging, improved resistance, and better skin healing.
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