7 Health Benefits of Vitamin C
Vitamin C, found in many fruits and vegetables, has many health benefits. It helps strengthen our immune system and may help lower blood pressure.
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, meaning your body can't produce it. Yet, it has many roles and has been linked to impressive health benefits.
It's water-soluble and found in many fruits and vegetables, including oranges, strawberries, kiwi fruit, bell peppers, broccoli, kale, and spinach.
The recommended daily intake for vitamin C is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men.
While it's commonly advised to get your vitamin C intake from foods, many people turn to supplements to meet their needs.
Here are 7 scientifically proven benefits of taking a vitamin C supplement.
May reduce your risk of chronic disease
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can strengthen your body's natural defenses.
Antioxidants are molecules that boost the immune system by protecting cells from harmful molecules called free radicals.
When free radicals accumulate, they can promote a state known as oxidative stress, which has been linked to many chronic diseases.
A recent review of studies on the importance and usefulness of vitamin C in preventing and treating various conditions highlights the benefits of vitamin C consumption in maintaining optimal health and preventing deficiencies and their related conditions.
May help manage high blood pressure
Almost one-half of American adults have high blood pressure.
High blood pressure puts you at risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death globally.
Studies have shown that vitamin C may help lower blood pressure in both those with and without high blood pressure.
An animal study found that taking a vitamin C supplement helped relax the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart, which helped reduce blood pressure levels.
Moreover, an analysis of 29 human studies found that taking a vitamin C supplement reduced systolic blood pressure (the upper value) by 3.8 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (the lower value) by 1.5 mmHg, on average, in participants with normal or high blood pressure.
While these results are promising, it's unclear whether the effects on blood pressure are long term. Moreover, people with high blood pressure should not rely on vitamin C alone for treatment.
May lower your risk of heart disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide.
Many factors increase the risk of heart disease, including high blood pressure, high triglyceride or LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
Vitamin C may help reduce these risk factors, which may reduce heart disease risk.
For example, an analysis of 9 studies with a combined 293,172 participants found that after 10 years, people who took at least 700 mg of vitamin C daily had a 25% lower risk of heart disease than those who did not take a vitamin C supplement.
Interestingly, another analysis of 15 studies found that consuming vitamin C from foods — not supplements — was linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
However, scientists were unsure whether people who consumed vitamin-C-rich foods also followed a healthier lifestyle than people who took a supplement. Thus, it remains unclear whether the differences were due to vitamin C or other aspects of their diet.
Another analysis of 13 studies looked at the effects of taking at least 500 mg of vitamin C daily on risk factors for heart disease, such as blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
The analysis found that taking a vitamin C supplement significantly reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol by approximately 7.9 mg/dL and blood triglycerides by 20.1 mg/dL.
In short, it seems that taking or consuming at least 500 mg of vitamin C daily may reduce the risk of heart disease. However, supplements may not provide additional heart health benefits if you already consume a vitamin-C-rich diet.
May reduce blood uric acid levels and help prevent gout attacks
Gout is a type of arthritis that affects approximately 4% of American adults.
It's incredibly painful and involves inflammation of the joints, especially those of the big toes. People with gout experience swelling and sudden, severe attacks of pain.
Gout symptoms appear when there is too much uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is a waste product produced by the body. At high levels, it may crystallize and deposit in the joints.
Interestingly, several studies have shown that vitamin C may help reduce uric acid in the blood and, as a result, protect against gout attacks.
For example, a study including 1,387 men found that those who consumed the most vitamin C had significantly lower blood levels of uric acid than those who consumed the least.
Another study followed 46,994 healthy men over 20 years to determine whether vitamin C intake was linked to developing gout. It found that people who took a vitamin C supplement had a 44% lower gout risk.
Additionally, an analysis of 13 studies found that taking a vitamin C supplement over 30 days significantly reduced blood uric acid compared with a placebo.
While there appears to be a strong link between vitamin C intake and uric acid levels, more studies are needed on the effects of vitamin C on gout.
Helps prevent iron deficiency
Iron is an essential nutrient that has a variety of functions in the body. It's necessary for making red blood cells and transporting oxygen throughout the body.
Vitamin C supplements can help improve the absorption of iron from the diet. Vitamin C assists in converting iron that is poorly absorbed, such as plant-based sources of iron, into an easier-to-absorb form.
This is especially useful for people on a meat-free diet, as meat is a significant source of iron.
As a result, vitamin C may help reduce the risk of anemia among people prone to iron deficiency.
If you have low iron levels, consuming more vitamin-C-rich foods or taking a vitamin C supplement may help improve your blood iron levels.
Boosts immunity
One of the main reasons people take vitamin C supplements is to boost their immunity, as vitamin C is involved in many parts of the immune system.
First, vitamin C helps encourage the production of white blood cells known as lymphocytes and phagocytes, which help protect the body against infection.
Second, vitamin C helps these white blood cells function more effectively while protecting them from damage by potentially harmful molecules, such as free radicals.
Third, vitamin C is an essential part of the skin's defense system. It's actively transported to the skin, where it can act as an antioxidant and help strengthen the skin's barriers.
Studies have also shown that taking vitamin C may shorten wound healing time.
What's more, low vitamin C levels have been linked to less favorable health outcomes.
For example, people with pneumonia tend to have lower vitamin C levels and vitamin C supplements have been shown to shorten the recovery time.
Protects your memory and thinking as you age
Dementia is a broad term used to describe symptoms of impaired thinking and memory.
It affects 47 million people worldwide and typically occurs among older adults.
Studies suggest that oxidative stress and inflammation near the brain, spine, and nerves (altogether known as the central nervous system) can increase the risk of dementia.
Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant. Low levels of this vitamin have been linked to an impaired ability to think and remember.
Moreover, several studies have shown that people with dementia may have lower blood levels of vitamin C.
Furthermore, high vitamin C intake from food or supplements has been shown to have a protective effect on thinking and memory as you age.
Vitamin C supplements may aid against conditions like dementia if you don't get enough vitamin C from your diet. However, additional human studies are needed to understand the effects of vitamin C supplements on nervous system health.
Unproven claims about vitamin C
While vitamin C has many scientifically proven benefits, it also has many unfounded claims supported by either weak or no evidence.
Here are some unproven claims about vitamin C:
Prevents the common cold. While vitamin C appears to reduce the severity of colds and recovery time by 8% in adults and 14% in children, it does not prevent them.
Reduces cancer risk. A handful of studies have linked vitamin C intake to a lower risk of several cancers. However, most studies have found that vitamin C does not affect the risk of developing cancer.
Protects against eye disease. Vitamin C has been linked to reduced risks of eye diseases like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. However, vitamin C supplements have no effect or may even cause harm.
May treat lead toxicity. Although people with lead toxicity appear to have low vitamin C levels, there is no strong evidence from human studies that vitamin C can treat lead toxicity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
36 minutes ago
- Medscape
Skill Checkup: Woman With Persistent Anemia and Fatigue
A 72-year-old woman presents with persistent anemia and fatigue. Her height is 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) and weight is 131 lb (59.42 kg; body mass index of 24). She was diagnosed with low- to intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with ring sideroblasts 2 years ago when she presented with unexplained macrocytic anemia. Bone marrow biopsy at the time showed blasts were 5%-7%, and her specimen tested positive for SF3B1 mutation and negative for del(5q) . Her erythropoietin levels were < 400 and she received erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) therapy, requiring ≥ 2 red blood cell (RBC) units over 8 weeks. However, despite ESA therapy, the patient presents with symptomatic anemia; her hemoglobin is 10.1 g/dL. There are no blasts in the blood; 16% of erythroid precursors with ring sideroblasts are identified. Because this patient's anemia is not responding to treatment, the likely diagnosis is MDS with ESA-refractory anemia. ESAs are a potential therapy for the treatment of patients with MDS. However, most patients with MDS either do not respond to ESAs or eventually will develop resistance to these agents. Progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in myelodysplastic syndrome is defined by the presence of ≥ 20% blasts in the peripheral blood or bone marrow (World Health Organization criteria). In this case, the patient has no blasts in the blood and had 5%-7% blasts at diagnosis, which is consistent with MDS but not AML. Copper deficiency can cause a sideroblastic-like anemia, but it is typically associated with neurologic symptoms (eg, ataxia, paresthesias), leukopenia, and a history of risk factors such as zinc overuse, malabsorption, or gastric surgery. This patient has a known diagnosis of MDS with ring sideroblasts and a pathogenic SF3B1 mutation, strongly supporting a clonal myeloid neoplasm rather than a nutritional deficiency. Although symptomatic anemia is a major morbidity of MDS, the anemia described in the present case, refractory anemia with ring sideroblasts (MDS-RS), is a subtype often associated with SF3B1 mutations, which lead to defective RNA splicing and secondary mitochondrial iron accumulation. This results in the formation of ring sideroblasts. SF3B1 is the most frequently mutated splicing factor gene in MDS-RS, and it is associated with better outcomes and longer survival. In this case, the presence of this mutation confirms a diagnosis of MDS over secondary causes of ring sideroblasts. Anemia in MDS might or might not be symptomatic at presentation and varies in degree, from mild to severe. Clinical symptoms of MDS, including fatigue as described by this patient, arise because of low peripheral blood counts, usually from anemia, but also can occur from thrombocytopenia or neutropenia. Features predictive of ESA response include a lower baseline serum erythropoietin (EPO) level (< 500 IU/mL), a low transfusion burden (< 2 units a month), a fixed-dose regimen, shorter time from diagnosis to starting treatment, and diagnosis of refractory anemia or MDS-RS. Although the patient in the present case is in fact diagnosed with refractory anemia or MDS-RS, response rates to ESA therapy are variable in patients with lower-risk MDS, ranging from 30%-60%. In this patient population, close monitoring of hemoglobin level is recommended to avoid increases to > 12 g/dL (as it is associated with a risk for systemic hypertension and thrombosis). In addition, the immunomodulatory agent lenalidomide can reduce transfusion requirements in patients with lower-risk MDS and a normal karyotype. In MDS, anemia is usually anisocytic, with a normal or a hypochromic microcytic population coexisting with the macrocytes. It is also generally macrocytic (mean cell volume, > 100 fL) with RBCs that are oval-shaped (macro-ovalocytes). Punctate basophilia is observed in RBCs. Symptomatic anemia in MDS frequently presents as a hypoproductive macrocytic anemia, often associated with suboptimal elevation of serum EPO levels. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines advise that during MDS workup, cytogenetics, bone marrow aspiration with iron stain, biopsy, serum EPO, and other coexisting causes should be ruled out. For MDS to be classified as MDS-RS, as in the present case, anemia should be present but with low blasts in the blood; for bone marrow, either ≥ 15% of erythroid precursors with ring sideroblasts must be identified, or if SF3B1 mutation is present, ≥ 5% ring sideroblasts. The same guidelines also make recommendations for additional testing of symptomatic anemia with MDS. These include flow cytometry to evaluate for large granular lymphocyte and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria clone. Human leukocyte antigen typing offers clinical value if the patient is a hematopoietic cell transplant candidate. Because the patient in the present case is considered lower risk, she probably is not at this juncture. Recombinant fusion protein, such as luspatercept, is the most appropriate option for this patient, given its approval for the treatment of anemia in patients with lower-risk MDS-RS who have not responded to treatment with ESAs. In patients with lower-risk MDS and symptomatic anemia, treatment is usually guided by cytogenetic findings, serum EPO levels, and the presence of ring sideroblasts or SF3B1 mutations. For patients with del(5q) , lenalidomide remains the preferred treatment regardless of EPO level. For those with SF3B1 mutations or ring sideroblasts ≥ 15% (or ≥ 5% with a mutation), luspatercept is preferred, with imetelstat recommended if EPO is > 500 mU/mL and the patient is ineligible for ESAs. In patients without these features, ESAs plus granulocyte colony-stimulating factor or imetelstat may be considered on the basis of EPO levels, with follow-up based on response. Escalation to agents like ivosidenib or enasidenib is recommended only in the presence of IDH mutations. Neither hypomethylating agents or allogeneic transplant are included in this lower-risk anemia-focused treatment pathway. Further, intensive induction chemotherapy is not typically utilized in this setting.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Lilly Pacts Bar Telehealth Firms From Selling Copycat Zepbound
Eli Lilly & Co. will only work with telehealth firms that agree to stop selling copycat versions of weight-loss drugs, diminishing the likelihood of a partnership with one most visible players in the industry, Hims & Hers Health Inc. Hims teamed up with Novo Nordisk A/S in April to offer its rival drug Wegovy at a discounted price to patients who use its platform. The telehealth company — and its investors — had been hoping for a similar agreement with Lilly, which is working with several of Hims' competitors to distribute lower-cost Zepbound.
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Years of Medicare Neglect Have Hurt Patients the Most
Every year, the cracks in the Medicare physician payment system widen. And with each year that Congress and the White House fail to act, physicians pay the price — and so do their patients. Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA This year marks the fifth in a row physicians endured across-the-board cuts to Medicare payment, even as the cost of care climbs. Moreover, Congress and multiple administrations have neglected to meaningfully reform Medicare payments to physicians over the past 30 years. The consequences of this failure are manifesting in long times in waiting rooms, increased hospital visits, and decreased access to care. Keeping this in mind, we must dispel some common misconceptions about payment. Let us be clear: Physician payment is not the same as what doctors take home in salary. Those dollars are what keep practices afloat; ensure clinical and administrative staff are compensated; allow investments in new technology and clinical supplies; pay rent, utilities, and other overhead costs; and, most important, afford patients across the country timely access to any care they need, whether it be with primary care or a surgeon. R. Shawn Martin, MHCDS When the payments fail to cover the full scope of these costs, as is the case now, staff wages stagnate, appointments are shortened to increase the number of patient visits, and, in some cases, physicians may not be able to receive a salary of their own just to keep the practice afloat. Our country's physicians are burning out under these impossible choices, and future physicians are choosing other careers. We cannot afford to diminish our workforce when we need to grow it the most, given that our senior population is expected to double over the next 40 years. Communities suffer as a result. Patients are not just losing access to care; they are losing lifelong relationships with trusted physicians, and they are losing access to care for cancer and after trauma. Meanwhile, they are experiencing delayed access to preventive care and screening, more chronic disease, and worse outcomes after emergencies and hospitalizations, all of which cause healthcare costs to skyrocket. These are not hypothetical situations but are a bleak reality that cannot continue. The downstream effects don't stop with Medicare, which serves as a model for many state Medicaid agencies, managed care plans, and private payers. When Medicare underpays, costs everywhere are driven down, deepening the strain on practices and widening gaps in access for all patients. Outdated payments are particularly concerning given that other areas within healthcare, including hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and other facilities, are seeing significant increases in payments. Physicians are glaringly absent from this list. Primary care clinicians often are the first line of care for patients in communities large and small and rural and urban. Patients also risk losing critical access to surgical care. Many communities already lack enough surgeons to address the elective, urgent, and emergent needs of their residents. The design of the current payment structure threatens surgical care in several ways. It distorts the true value of complex procedures and services and fails to keep pace with the rising costs of equipment, innovation, staffing, and compliance. Many surgeons are being forced to reduce their Medicare patient load — or exit practice entirely. The result? Longer wait times for routine operations that become complex, or postponed operations that can cause months of preventable pain and worse outcomes. For an aging population, these issues are more than mere inconveniences; they represent life-altering delays that can also increase long-term costs. Safeguarding access to care for those who rely on Medicare should be nonnegotiable. Physicians want to care for patients and their communities and support their colleagues and staff, not face the consequences of a neglected and outdated payment system. Our leaders want high-quality care for their constituents. Congress must pursue real solutions. Bipartisan solutions do exist. We've advocated relentlessly for policies that account for rising costs, including an annual inflationary update to Medicare payment and reforms to requirements for budget neutrality. We both agree these arbitrary restrictions undermine the positive effect of important policy and payment updates, preventing critical investments in primary and surgical care and pitting specialties against one another, all of which fails to prioritize patients and their well-being. Enacting these reforms would do more than stabilize physician practices; it would safeguard access to care for Medicare beneficiaries across the country. The Medicare physician payment system is the scaffolding that supports the health of more than 60 million Americans. And right now, years of neglect are making the foundation crumble. If we want to truly demonstrate we care about patients, we must fix the system that supports the physicians and practices who care for them.
