Even though required in the small quantities like other vitamins, vitamin C is very essential for an proper functioning of the body.
You all must have studied during your school days that deficiency of vitamin C is related to the skin problems, which is true. But recent and ongoing studies on role of vitamin C in maintaining the good health gives us more reasons why we should include sources of Vitamin C in our diet. Here is why you need to eat vitamin C rich foods this winter and 15 ways Vitamin C keeps healthy and fit.
Table of Contents
Here we explained how 15 ways vitamin C keeps healthy and fit.
Helps treat common cold symptoms:
The role of vitamin C in preventing the cold has always been controversial. Even though there is no proof that vitamin C can prevent cold, several studies have shown that the vitamin C can reduce the harshness of the cold symptoms and duration of cold. Vitamin C is the natural antihistamine and therefore helps in controlling an allergies by reducing the levels of histamine.
Natural cure for the skin problems:
Since olden times, vitamin C has been used to treat the lot of skin-related problems. Today, vitamin C is used in the lot of moisturizers, face packs and masks for rendering natural glow to skin. Vitamin C is helpful in reducing wrinkles and preventing flabby skin by improving the elasticity of. It also helps to protect the skin from harmful UV rays of the sun.
Helps to heal the wounds:
Vitamin C is an necessary factor required for the production of collagen, a protein present in the connective tissues of the body skin, tendons, muscles, ligaments etc. Therefore, vitamin C is especially helpful in healing the wounds of all types. From minor cuts to deep wounds, broken bones and burns, vitamin C speeds up healing process and helps you to recover faster.
Protects against ill effects of the stress:
It is official that vitamin C has an important role to play in protecting the brain and nervous system from harmful effects of stress. This is because enough levels of vitamin C are required for synthesis of stress hormones like adrenaline and nor-adrenaline, which play a role in fight or flight mechanism of fighting stress
Helps lower cholesterol:
Vitamin C plays a very crucial role in reducing the level of cholesterol in the blood. It is basically enhances the conversion of cholesterol to bile salts which can be easily eradicated from the body.
Improves blood flow:
Most of damage caused to the blood vessels during the heart attack is because the blood vessels do not expand, obstructing the blood flow. Chest pain or angina is also caused by inability of coronary arteries that carry blood to the heart to widen. Even small doses of vitamin C can help in improving the dilation of blood vessels in people suffering from angina pectoris, congestive heart failure and high blood pressure.
Lowers the risk of heart diseases and stroke:
Vitamin C has an excellent antioxidant property. It hunts free radicals that can cause damage to wall of arteries and increase risk of the heart diseases and stroke. Plus, it also lowers cholesterol and improves the blood flow, which also helps to prevent the heart diseases.
Regulates sugar levels in diabetics:
Even though diabetics have the lot of food restrictions to follow, they can surely benefit from foods containing vitamin C. It regulates the blood sugar levels and also protects against the complications of diabetes.
Helps for cancer treatment: A study had suggested that the high-dose of vitamin C can boosts the cancer-killing effect of drugs used in the chemotherapy for cancer patients. Vitamin C has also been found to be target specific unlike other drugs which can harm normal cells as well. Researchers believe that vitamin C can be a safe and cost-effective treatment for ovarian, lung and some other cancers.
May get rid of the development of neurological disorders:
The blood levels of vitamin C, beta-carotene and lycopene are were extremely low in the patients having with mild dementia. This suggests that enhancing vitamin C levels may help in reducing the progression of dementia and other neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Helps to reduce breathlessness:
vitamin C considerably reduces the broncho constriction, narrowing of airways, caused by thorough physical activity and exercise. Brocho constriction can cause symptoms such as cough, wheezing and the shortness of breath.
Improves an asthma symptoms:
People having the chronic asthma can benefit lot from the vitamin C. Vitamin C, being an antioxidant and antihistamine, enhances the function of lungs and airways. It is found that the vitamin C doses of 1,000 to 2,000 mg per day might get rid of the production of histamines, which contributes to inflammation in asthmatic people.
Helps reducing arthritis symptoms:
Arthritis is caused by collapse of cellular processes that help in production, maintenance and repair of cartilaginous tissues. Physical stress on cartilage can cause obliteration of collagen and can also obstruct in its production. Since vitamin C is required for the collagen production it helps to reduce the pain, inflammation and swelling of joints in the people with arthritis. It also helps in the maintaining healthy joints and keeping them flexible.
Reduces risk of cataracts:
Vitamin C plays very important role in improving the vision but it also prevents the development of cataracts (clouding of eye lens) that causes blindness in older people. This is because your eye lens needs the high amount of vitamin C to eradicate all the free radicals that generate due to direct exposure to sunlight.
Might help to treat tuberculosis:
vitamin C can kill the bacteria causing tuberculosis. Even though the antibacterial potential of vitamin C is still to be tested in humans but the findings were striking and worth exploring.
The daily recommendation of vitamin C is different for all age groups (Adult men: 90 mg, Adult women: 75 mg, children between 9-13 years: 45 mg). You can obtain vitamin C from several sources like oranges, chilly peppers, papaya, strawberries, cauliflower, pineapple etc. One medium sized orange contains about 75 mg of vitamin C. Bigger ones contain as high as 100 mg of vitamin C.
Find out if you are deficient in vitamin C First then every one need to follow this diet.
Photo credit: Maria Mastrafchieva / Foter / CC BY-NC