Vitamin C or ascorbic acid has always been known as the go-to vitamin to beat the common cold, but why? What is it about vitamin C that helps us though illnesses like the flu and what foods are the best sources of C?
Vitamin C has long been associated with citrus and for good reason. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruit and limes contain on average around 50 milligrams (mg) per cup or around two thirds of the recommended daily recommendation for vitamin C, which is 65 to 90 mg a day for an adult - with the the upper limit of intake maxing out at 2,000 mg a day.
But the beauty of vitamin C is how available it is as many foods contain high amounts of the essential element. Foods like broccoli, yellow and red peppers, kale, parsley, garlic, rosehips, cantaloupe, thyme and brussels sprouts all have healthy amounts of this essential immune boosting vitamin.
Why does vitamin C boost the immune system?
Vitamin C helps encourage the production of white blood cells known as lymphocytes and phagocytes, which help protect the body against infection. When the body has a adequate amount of white blood cells, the body is better prepared to help fight off illness-causing viruses and bacteria.
Second, vitamin C helps these white blood cells function more effectively while protecting them from damage by potentially harmful molecules, such as free radicals.
Free radicals occur in the body when we introduce a toxin like smoking or drinking, outside stress or highly processed foods. The more toxins we introduce, the more free radicals we need to produce and the more heavily we rely on the anti-oxidants vitamins like C introduce to counter their effects.
Unlike other essential vitamin groups like B and D, vitamin C is not produced in the body and neither can we store it. We get our C from the various foods we eat, and the body uses it to synthesize many hundreds of processes like neurological dysfunction, blood vessel repair, bone integrity. Vitamin C is also critical in calcium biosynthesis which keeps our bones, teeth and cartilage healthy.
Third, vitamin C is an essential part of the skin’s defense system. It’s actively transported to the skin, where it can act as an antioxidant and help strengthen the skin’s barriers.
Vitamin C has also been shown to improve weakened immune systems brought on by stress caused by any number of physical anomalies like malnutrition, smoking, drinking, or mental stress. Any kind of stress on the body registers the same on our immune system. For instance, going through a period of mourning like a death or a sudden trauma can have the same effect on the body. In both instances vital compounds are drained from the body’s stores or used up more quickly to build more white blood cells, which is why it’s important to supplement essential vitamins like C when we fall ill with the common cold.
Preventative supplementation of vitamin C is also important when we know we will be exposing ourselves to likely health pitfalls like, flying or in advance of the cold and flu season, but as vitamin C cannot be stored, mega doses of over 2,000 mg are both not effective or recommended.
Resources: Healthline, Nature.com, Medicine Plus, Mayo Clinic.org, insider.com
