Why Your Blood Needs Vitamin C (Know The Benefits)

Why Your Blood Needs Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal growth and development of cells in the blood, as well as the tissues.

Vitamin C helps to form collagen in the bones, cartilage, muscles, and blood vessels, and aids in the absorption of iron.

Although rare, scurvy includes potentially severe consequences, and can cause sudden death.

Patients with scurvy are treated with Vitamin C and should be under medical supervision. Many uses for Vitamin C have been proposed, but few have been found to be beneficial in scientific studies.

In particular, research in asthma, cancer, and diabetes remains inconclusive, and no benefits have been found in the prevention of cataracts or heart disease.

Ever wondered why your blood needs Vitamin C? Find out in this post.

Vitamin C: What Does it Do in The Blood?

A sufficient intake of Vitamin C is important as it helps the body to:

• Make collagen, a protein in the skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, gums and blood vessels
• Grow and repair tissues
• Heal wounds
• Repair and maintain bones and teeth
• Maintain the protein collagen and protects against infection in the blood
• Synthesize neurotransmitters
• Block some of the damage caused by free radicals by working as an antioxidant along with vitamin E, beta-carotene and many other plant-based nutrients. This damage can contribute to the aging process and the development of cancer, heart disease, atherosclerosis and arthritis.

The EFSA which provides scientific advice to assist policy makers has confirmed that clear health benefits have been established for the dietary intake of Vitamin C in
contributing to:

• The protection of cell constituents from oxidative damage
• Normal collagen formation and the normal function of bones, teeth, cartilage, gums, skin and blood vessels
• The increase of non-heme iron absorption
• A normal function of the immune system
• The maintenance of the immune system during and after intense physical
  exercise

Vitamin C Sources

All fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C. Dietary sources of vitamin C include:

• Oranges
• Lemon juice
• Strawberry
• Turnip greens
• Papaya
• Mango
• Watermelon
• Cranberry
• Pineapple

Why Your Blood Needs Vitamin C (Know The Reasons)

Low levels of vitamin C is related to a number of conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and atherosclerosis.

A sufficient vitamin C intake may help reduce the risk of developing some of these conditions. Here are the reasons why your blood needs vitamin C.

Heart Disease

Results of scientific studies on whether vitamin C is helpful for preventing heart attack or stroke are mixed. Vitamin C was not shown to lower cholesterol levels, but some evidence suggests that it may help protect arteries against damage by acting as an antioxidant.

High Blood Pressure

Population studies suggest that people who eat foods rich in antioxidants, including vitamin C, have a lower risk of high blood pressure than people who have poorer diets.

Absorption

In human blood, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is always in the reduced form. Research has found that the red blood corpuscles are not permeable for ascorbic acid and also to glucose.

Vitamin C oxidizes slowly in blood than in plasma. It’s normal plasma level ranges between 50μM and 100μM according to the diet intake in healthy non-smoker individuals.

Lipid Metabolism

Although Vitamin C is water soluble, it has great effects on blood lipids. Vitamin C is an essential factor protecting lipids in the blood from oxidation. Vitamin C also plays an important role in preventing atherosclerosis and inhibiting the thrombus formation through decreasing the platelet aggregation.

Vitamin C Recommended Intakes

The recommended daily intake of vitamin C varies according to age, gender, risk group and criteria applied in individual countries.

In the european union a daily intake of 110mg/day and 95mg/day have been recommended for adult men and women respectively, in the U.S., 90mg/day and 75 mg/day for men and women respectively have been defined as adequate.

Higher amounts of vitamin C are recommended for pregnant and breast-feeding women.

Emerging evidence suggest that daily intakes of 200mg vitamin C might be advisable for the general
adult population. This can be achieved by means of a diverse diet.

Deficiency

Although serious deficiencies are rare in industrialized countries, some evidence suggests that many
people may be mildly deficient in vitamin C. Smoking cigarettes lowers the amount of vitamin C in the blood, so smokers are more at risk of deficiency.

RDA: The recommended dietary allowance of Vitamin C for smokers should be 35mg and beyond, the intake must not exceed the RDA.

Summary

Vitamin C is the mother of all vitamins. It is an essential vitamin that humans need every day to keep their bodies running well.

Your blood needs vitamin C for a number of functions, and that includes immune function, cell growth and producing collagen, which is an important protein in the connective tissue of our bodies.

Adequate intakes of vitamin C prevents illness, repairs tissue damage and limits the risk of deficiency.

In your daily routine such as performing physical exercises, during working hours, and after meals, take Vitamin C.

Related post: Why Your Blood Needs Folic Acid