Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

What Is Vitamin C

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, belongs to the group of so-called water-soluble vitamins, i.e., those which can not be accumulated in the body but must be taken regularly through the ‘ power. In addition to dissolving in water, vitamin C is sensitive to high temperatures, so it is completely lost when cooked in water.

What is Vitamin C used for?

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, participates in many metabolic reactions and amino acids, hormones, and collagen biosynthesis. Thanks to its strong antioxidant powers, vitamin C raises the barriers of the immune system and helps the body prevent the risk of tumors, especially in the stomach, by inhibiting the synthesis of carcinogenic substances. Furthermore, its contribution is essential for the neutralization of free radicals.

In Which Foods Is Vitamin C Present?

Vitamin C is contained mainly in fresh food: in some types of fruit and vegetables such as oranges, strawberries, mandarins, kiwi, lemons, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, and peppers. To fully enjoy the benefits of vitamin C, these foods must be kept no longer than 3-4 days and eaten raw or otherwise lightly cooked.

What Is The Daily Requirement Of Vitamin C?

The daily requirement of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is about 90 mg for men and about 70 mg for women, an amount to be increased if you are pregnant.

Vitamin C Deficiency

The lack of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, causes the onset of scurvy, a disease that in the past was very common among sailors who lived on ships and did not eat fresh food for months and months. The symptoms of scurvy are a condition of apathy, anemia, and inappetence, followed by other signs such as bleeding gums, tooth loss, muscle aches, and subcutaneous bleeding.

Excess Of Vitamin C

An ‘ excessive intake of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid – caused by an unbalanced diet or abuse of supplements – can cause kidney problems, with training calculations, or an iron overdose since vitamin C promotes its absorption. An excess of vitamin C can lead to symptoms such as headache, heartburn, vomiting, diarrhea, gastritis, and abdominal cramps, weakness, dizziness, and sudden hot flashes.

Is It True That Vitamin C Can Fight Colds?

When you have the flu, it has always been believed that taking vitamin C in good doses is useful for eliminating colds. In reality, vitamin C does not possess any therapeutic properties and therefore does not seem to prevent or cure colds. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is recognized to shorten the time point of view of the ‘ flu episode. However, always emphasizing that we must not abuse its intake, not create a kidney problem.

Functions Of Vitamin C In The Body

Nutrient C is vital for some cycles of hydroxylation catalyzed by some oxygenase (compounds). It performs significant capacities, for example, 

1. Biosynthesis of collagen: where it intercedes in the transformation of proline into hydroxyproline and lysine into hydroxylysine by proline hydroxylase and lysine hydroxylase, which require Fe ++ (nutrient C keeps iron in a decreased structure); 
2. The amalgamation of noradrenaline ( synapse ) beginning from dopamine and, no doubt, of tryptophan into serotonin ; 
3. The amalgamation of carnitine, fundamental for the exchange of acyls ( fatty acids ) into the mitochondria ; 
4. Catabolism of tyrosine to fumaric and acetoacetic acids through the development of homogentisic corrosive; 
5. Amidation end of carboxy terminal peptide chemicals such as vasopressin, oxytocin, the cholecystokinin, adrenocorticotropic chemical (ACTH), and the chemical delivering thyrotropin ; 
6. Biosynthesis of bile acids, truth be told in guinea pigs exposed to a nutrient insufficient eating regimen the combination is decreased; 
7. Incitement of the reductase of cytochrome P450, liable for the hydroxylation in the 7-a position of cholesterol, essential for the union of cholic corrosive ; 
8. Initiation of folic acid tetrahydrofolic corrosive (FH4), a naturally dynamic structure; 
9. Guideline of endogenous levels of histamine, repressing its delivery and advancing its corruption (nutrient C is utilized for therapeutic purposes to forestall anaphylactic shock, toxemia, and rashness in pregnancy intricacies); 
10. Biosynthesis of steroid hormones of the adrenal cortex (by hydroxylation); indeed, when the hormonal need in the cortex increments, both cholesterol and nutrient C are drained; 
11. Digestive retention of iron (lessening ferric Fe to ferrous and leaning toward the development of stable chelates fit for keeping up with dissolvable Fe inan soluble climate ), its exchange from plasma transferrin to tissue ferritin, and expanded intracellular accessibility leaning toward the iron-ferritin and expanding the steadiness of the mind-boggling itself; 
12. Decrease of the digestive retention productivity of copper, since the oxidized structure is more assimilated than the diminished one (at high dosages of the nutrient); 
13. Lessen the harmfulness of some minerals (Ni, Pb, V, Cd, Se), which in the diminished structure are all the more troublesomely ingested or discharged all the more rapidly; 
14. Advance the utilization of selenium at physiological portions, expanding the bioavailability of a portion of its natural and inorganic structures; 
15. Preventive activity in the carcinogenesis of nitrosamines, repressing their union, which happens in the digestive system, by the response of nitrites with amino gatherings; 
16. Decrease of superoxide particles, hydroxyl extremists, hypochlorous corrosive and other incredible oxidants, shielding the DNA structure of proteins and layers from the harm that these oxidants could cause; 
17. Constitution, together with vitamin E, of an arrangement of assurance against oxidative harm, brought about by free revolutionaries: PUFAsare ensured tocopherols, which after illumination structure phenoxy extremists, tocotrienols, to be then recovered to the detriment of nutrient C which frames an ascorbyl revolutionary; 
18. Insusceptible capacity, truth be told, it has been tentatively seen that nutrient C can: 
19. animate the creation of interferons, which protect cells from viral attacks ; 
20. animate the expansion of neutrophils ; 
21. shield proteins from inactivation by free extremists delivered during the oxidative cycles that happen in neutrophils; 
22. Animate the union of the humoral thymic element and antibodies of theIgG and IgMclasses.

The Biological Role Of Vitamin C In Animals

As expected, nutrient C is a fundamental supplement for certain creatures, including people. The nonexclusive term for nutrient C incorporates a few vitamers that have a similar natural movement. For example, the ascorbate salts, the ‘sodium ascorbate and l ‘ of ascorbate calcium, utilized particularly in food supplements, discharge ascorbate (dynamic fixing ) following the processing. Corrosive ascorbic and l’ ascorbate are normally present in the body since the two structures are exchanged depending on the pH. 

Oxidized types of the atom, for example, dehydroascorbic corrosive, are changed over again into ascorbic corrosive by diminishing specialists. In creatures, nutrient C goes about as a cofactor in numerous enzymatic responses that intercede a wide assortment of fundamental natural capacities, including the recuperating of wounds and the blend of collagen. In people, lack of nutrient C prompts a modified union of collagen, adding to the manifestations generally genuine of scurvy. 

One more biochemical job of nutrient C is as a cell reinforcement (a lessening specialist ) by giving electrons to different enzymatic and non-enzymatic responses. Like this, nutrient C is changed over into its oxidized state, both as a semi dehydroascorbic corrosive and dehydroascorbic corrosive. These mixtures can be reestablished to a diminished state by glutathione and NADPH-subordinate enzymatic instruments.

The Biological Role Of Vitamin C In Plants

In plants, vitamin C is a substrate for ascorbate peroxidase. This enzyme uses the ascorbate to neutralize the peroxide hydrogen in excess (H2O2), converting it into water (H2O) and oxygen.

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