What is vitamin C and why do we need it? The understanding nutrients series

Following on from the nutrition myths post where I explained that vitamin C won’t help your cold. (Read it here.) I thought I’d start a new series exploring the different nutrients. I’ll be covering what they are and what they’re needed for.

Of course, we’ll be starting with vitamin C and what it does in the body.

What is a vitamin?

First, I thought I’d start by explaining what a vitamin is. A vitamin is a chemical compound that’s essential for health and can’t be made by the body. They're needed in small amounts in the diet due to the fact we can't make them ourselves.

There are 2 types of vitamins: water soluble and fat soluble. Water soluble means dissolves into water, and these are the B vitamins and vitamin C. These are generally readily absorbed and aren't stored in the body. Fat soluble vitamins dissolve in fat and these are vitamin A, D, E, and K. These are stored in the body and are better absorbed if eaten with fat.

Roles of vitamin C:

Vitamin C has many roles within the body, so I’ll list a few of the main things.

Antioxidant: Vitamin C is an antioxidant which means it can prevent damage to cells caused by chemicals called free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that are produced as by-products of some bodily reactions. It’s thought that a build up of these free radicals contributes to many conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.

Growth and repair: Vitamin C is used to form collagen and other proteins that are essential for skin, hair, and bone growth. Collagen is a key component of skin and is what gives skin strength and elasticity.

This leads into another one of vitamin C’s functions which is wound healing. Vitamin C is a crucial part of all stages of wound healing. Vitamin C helps with the immune systems response to a wound and it contributes to collagen formation which patches up the skin.

Iron absorption: Vitamin C increases the amount of iron that’s absorbed when the two are eaten together. Iron is an essential mineral, needed for healthy red blood cells. Iron from plants is not absorbed as well as iron from meat. By combining it with vitamin C it can improve the amount the body can absorb.

How much vitamin C should you be having?

The reference nutrient intake for vitamin C, that is, the amount of vitamin C that would be enough for most people is 40mg a day. This is the same for adult men and women.

For reference, one medium orange has 70mg of vitamin C.

Foods that are high in vitamin C:

Most fruit and veg are a good source of vitamin C, here are a few examples:

• 1 medium potato – 42mg
• 100g of strawberries – 60mg
• 1 kiwi – 64mg
• Medium orange – 70mg
• 1 cup of kale – 80mg
• One cup of bell pepper – 120mg

This is one reason why there's no need to supplement vitamin C. It’s so readily available in fruit and veg that buying a supplement is likely a waste of money.

What happens if you don't get enough?

A deficiency in vitamin C is called scurvy, it occurs if you don’t get enough dietary vitamin C for at least 3 months. It can lead to bleeding gums, tiredness, and pain and swelling in the body.

Scurvy is very rare, as it’s usually quite easy to get enough vitamin C even if you don’t have the ‘healthiest’ diet. Treatment for scurvy is including more fruit and veg into your diet, and your doctor may also give you vitamin C tablets to supplement. 

Key points:

• A vitamin is an essential nutrient needed for health that can't be made within the body.
• Vitamin C has many roles in the body including: protecting cells from damage, forming proteins needed for healthy skin and bone, wound healing, and aiding the absorption of iron.
• We all need 40mg of vitamin C every day, fruit and vegetables are great sources.
• A deficiency in vitamin C is called scurvy and is rare.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post; I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Bye for now! 👋

 

References:

What is a vitamin: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/vitamin

Antioxidant: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249911/ and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12569111/

Collagen: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30859848/ and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33037252/

Wound healing: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24796079/

Iron absorption: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6940487/

Vitamin C RNI: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/743790/Dietary_Reference_Values_-_A_Guide__1991_.pdf 

Scurvy: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scurvy/