Throwing together a short blog post is sometimes my preferred type and hopefully that’s what todays post can be. Short and sweet but informative.
Before I ever became interested in Nutritional Medicine, I was what you would have called a typical Aussie. I ate Weetabix for Brekkie, a cheese or vegemite sandwich for lunch and meat and veg for dinner. My mum prepared most meal from scratch even if we did use the microwave to cook a lot of the time…. (Makes me shudder when I think of that now), but I hold no hard feelings toward Mum because she did her best with what she knew at the time. Like we all try to do. But we did have a bottle of orange vitamin C tablets and if we had a sore throat, we might take one from time to time. It was not until years later that I came to appreciate that Vitamin C was not just a little old insignificant.
Vitamin C is frequently known as a name to describe a range of biological activities that resemble ascorbic acid. So, without a big, long science lesson what are the main take home points?
• Vitamin C is absorbed in the middle region of the small intestine (jejunum) and to some degree in the mouth.
• Excretion of vitamin C is primarily through the kidneys. The kidneys regulate Vitamin C levels by conserving amounts when there is a low intake and excreting excess when the intake is high. (So, when your doctor tells you it’s a waste of time because you just wee your vitamins down the toilet, they are right and wrong).
• Factors that increase the breakdown or excretion of Vitamin C are psychological, chemical, emotional, or physiological stress. Alcohol, smoking, antibiotics, cortisone, aspirin, heavy metals, fever, and viral illnesses also impact the amount you need.
• It is a very safe supplement even in large doses. It has been reported to be associated with the development of kidney stones, however in theory more than in reality. I have personally never seen it occur. Patients with renal failure or those on warfarin should limit their intake to 1 g/day and have their clotting factors monitored. People on sodium-restricted doses should avoid megadoses of sodium ascorbate.
SO, WHAT IS VITAMIN C GOOD FOR?
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant – that means it stops your body ‘rusting’. But it is also a big part of cellular respiration, carbohydrate metabolism, the creation of lipids (fats), and proteins, converting cholesterol to bile and folic acid to folinic acid (which is really excellent if you have MTHFR issues – a chat for another day), and it aids in iron metabolism and absorption. It is especially known for quenching free radicals (the things that poison and age us), and it helps in the regeneration of other antioxidants like vitamin E and glutathione. It is great for immunity and healing.
FOOD SOURCES:
The best food sources are:
• Kiwi fruit
• Navel oranges
• Papaya
• Red Capsicum
• Strawberries
• Rockmelon/Cantaloupe
• Broccoli and Brussel sprouts – cooked
DOSES:
Recommended daily doses are too low in my view. These levels prevent scurvy but not much more. Standard doses of 1000mg per day in my view are only good for general maintenance of normal healthy living. As soon as stress (psychological and physical), increases, immunity is lowered, surgery is required or any serious illness appears, then dosages need to be increased. Vitamin C, even at high doses is not toxic. 3000mg per day would not be too much at all, and even up to 5000 mg would do no harm. When doctors give vitamin C Intravenously extremely large doses are given. Small, divided doses are the best way. Mixing a teaspoon of Vitamin C in your drink water bottle and sipping through the morning is ideal.
One of the reasons I rarely get a cold or sore throat or other virus these days is because our family take vitamin C each day, 30-50 mg of Zinc most days and gargle salt as soon as we have the first sign of a problem. If you are developing a cold or other viral illness, having 1000mg every hour whilst awake will usually knock it on the head before it even begins. If you do begin to get loose bowel motions, back off a bit as this is an indicator that you have saturated your body in vitamin C, and it doesn’t need any more.
(See part one of these blogs on Zinc to use in tandem with C).
I have a personal preference for raw rather than synthetic vitamin C as it is more bioavailable and I’m all for that. In the shop I have placed more than one type in case one isn’t available and for personal choice and preference. You will find the hyper links are directed to the Raw C Powder as my preference but you are welcome to view the NOW brand 1000mg capsule in the shop if you prefer.
Please note:
I am able to do one on one telehealth/zoom nutritional consultations for those who require more specific and individualised treatment. Contact me through the website to make an appointment.
REFERENCES:
Hechtman, L., 2014. Clinical naturopathic medicine. 2nd ed. CHATSWOOD NSW: Elsevier Australia, pp.62-64.
Yeager, Sl, 2007. The Doctors Book of Food Remedies. Revised. Rodale Inc, USA p 23 – food sources
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminc-healthprofessional/ – Recommended daily amounts
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