<\/a>Because of its popularity as a dietary supplement, Vitamin C may be the most familiar nutrient to the general public.\u00a0 Despite research indicating the ineffectiveness of taking Vitamin C after cold symptoms start, it\u2019s one of the first supplements people reach for when they get a cold.\u00a0\u00a0 Research does, however, indicate that\u00a0\u00a0 people who take vitamin C on a regular basis may have less severe colds for a shorter period of time.\u00a0 But Vitamin C does so much more.<\/p>\n

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is essential for normal growth, repair and development.\u00a0 As a health-promoting and cancer-fighting antioxidant it helps prevent damage to your cells from free radicals. Vitamin C also protects your skin and gums from daily wear-and-tear and helps to prevent cardiovascular disease. In addition, it is important for preventing arthritis, cataracts, osteoporosis and the development of scar tissue.<\/p>\n

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, which means that it dissolves in water and is not stored in the body.\u00a0 Any excess amounts pass out of the body through urine.\u00a0 Since Vitamin C is not stored in the body we must have a continuous supply in our diet.\u00a0 Unfortunately many adults and children don\u2019t meet optimal Vitamin C intake on a daily basis simply because they don\u2019t eat enough fruits and vegetables.\u00a0 Severe Vitamin C deficiency leading to scurvy, a condition characterized by bleeding gums and skin discoloration due to ruptured blood vessels, is uncommon.<\/p>\n

However, poor wound healing and weak immune function, leading to increased susceptibility to respiratory infections is common and may be indicative of Vitamin C deficiency.\u00a0 Certain groups of people, such as smokers and alcoholics, may require more Vitamin C due to an increase in carcinogens and a decrease in Vitamin C absorption respectively.<\/p>\n

Since Vitamin C is not stored in the body, toxicity is rare.\u00a0 Daily doses of greater than 2000 mg are discouraged because such high doses can lead to stomach upset and diarrhea.\u00a0 How much an individual needs varies by age and gender, as well as other factors such as pregnancy and illness.\u00a0 The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is as follows:<\/p>\n

Children:<\/p>\n

0-6 months: 40 mg per day<\/p>\n

7-12 months: 50 mg\/day<\/p>\n

1-3 years: 15 mg\/day<\/p>\n

4-8 years: 25 mg\/day<\/p>\n

Females:<\/p>\n

ages 9-13 : 45 mg per day<\/p>\n

ages 14-18: 65 mg\/day<\/p>\n

ages 19 and older: 75 mg\/day<\/p>\n

Pregnant females: (ages 19 and older): 85 mg\/day<\/p>\n

Lactating females: (ages 19 and older): 120 mg \/day<\/p>\n

Males:<\/p>\n

ages 9-13: 45 mg per day<\/p>\n

ages 14-18: 75 mg\/day<\/p>\n

ages 19 and older: 90 mg\/day<\/p>\n

As always the best source of essential nutrients is through a balanced diet consisting of varied fruits and vegetables.\u00a0 All fruits and vegetables contain Vitamin C, but the top ten healthiest sources of Vitamin C in descending order are: papayas, bell peppers, strawberries, broccoli, pineapple, brussels sprouts, kiwifruit, oranges, cantaloupe, and kale.\u00a0 Remember, raw ripened fruits and veggies will contain more essential nutrients than cooked.\u00a0 If you must cook them, lightly steaming them will reduce cooking losses.<\/p>\n

If you feel like you occasionally fall short on fruit and vegetable intake, a good back up is to take a whole-food multivitamin which can be purchased from our office or a reputable health food store.\u00a0\u00a0 If you have more questions about nutrition or supplement needs you might have, please give our office a call at 406-652-3553.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Because of its popularity as a dietary supplement, Vitamin C may be the most familiar nutrient to the general public.\u00a0 Despite research indicating the ineffectiveness of taking Vitamin C after cold symptoms start, it\u2019s one of the first supplements people reach for when they get a cold.\u00a0\u00a0 Research does, however, indicate that\u00a0\u00a0 people who take vitamin C on a regular basis may have less severe colds for a shorter period of time.\u00a0 But Vitamin C does so much more. Vitamin…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[42,51,84,124,195,217],"tags":[319,377,457,500,592,723,745],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiroaddict.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiroaddict.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiroaddict.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiroaddict.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiroaddict.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chiroaddict.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiroaddict.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiroaddict.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiroaddict.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}