Vitamin C for Stress, Collagen, Immunity

Vitamin C is a “Jack of all trades” in healthy physiology. Widely used for immune system support and as a general antioxidant, it plays many other important roles. Considerable information has been learned since Linus Pauling’s research on vitamin C. Some of the most intriguing findings may help today’s modern stress response, not only on immune system health and antioxidant functions, but it also includes the adrenal glands, stress hormones, and neurotransmitters. Here are some recent findings and pearls on vitamin C’s essential roles in your health. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin found in fruits and vegetables and is added to some foods. Humans lack the ability to produce vitamin C compared to most other mammals, so we must obtain it in the diet. Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid. Red and green peppers, citrus fruits, kiwi, strawberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, tomatoes, and cantaloupe contain about 30-90 mg of vitamin C per serving. Vitamin C is rapidly lost with cooking foods. Vitamin C levels are tightly controlled in the bloodstream with just small amounts present, but several other tissues maintain high concentrations often at 100 times more than in the bloodstream. The greatest concentrations of vitamin C are found in leukocytes, a type of white blood cell, the brain, pituitary gland, eyes, thymus gland, and the adrenal glands. Smaller amounts of vitamin C are found in the pancreas, liver, spleen, kidney, lung and heart. Antioxidant Vitamin C is an antioxidant which protects cells from oxidative stress. The FDA has stated that “vitamin C serves as an effective free radical scavenger to protect cells from damage by reactive oxygen molecules”. It helps to recycle and spare other antioxidants like vitamin E, lipoic acid, and the critical antioxidant enzymatic system glutathione. Ascorbic acid’s antioxidants effects help defend […]

Click here to view full article