5 Benefits of taking a Vitamin C supplement
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that can only be obtained from diet or supplementation as unfortunately, your body cannot produce it on its own. Vitamin C is typically found in many fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, strawberries, broccoli, kale and spinach.
It is recommended that you have a daily intake of 75 mg of Vitamin C for women and 90 mg for men [1].
Vitamin C has many suggested benefits for the body, here are 5 of the top reasons to take a Vitamin C Supplement:
- Boosts Immunity – Our immune system is responsible for keeping us healthy, therefore, the stronger it is, the better. Researchers from the University of Helsinki found that taking a vitamin C supplement could reduce the rate of colds in active people by 50% [2].
- Helps maintain psychological function – Deficiency in vitamin c can cause scurvy. Some of the main symptoms of scurvy are depression, personality changes, lethargy and general malaise. Taking vitamin c helps our body cells communicate with each other and contributes to the synthesis of some hormones such as noradrenaline and adrenaline [3]. These hormones help to regulate your mood and your ability to concentrate.
- Reduced tiredness and fatigue – Sometimes feeling tired and fatigued is often a normal part of life. However, if you’re feeling exhausted all the time, it could be a sign that your body is struggling to convert the energy you give it into action. Weakness and fatigue are among some of the symptoms of vitamin C deficiency, so it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough, if not from your diet, then from good quality supplementation. A cause and effect relationship has been established between the intake of adequate levels of vitamin C and reduced tiredness and fatigue [4].
- Help reduce iron deficiency – Iron is an important nutrient that is responsible for making red blood cells and transporting oxygen round the body. Vitamin c can assist in converting iron that is poorly absorbed, such as plant-based sources of iron, into a form that is easier for the body to absorb [5].
- Helps maintain bone and cartilage – Vitamin C helps play a big part in keeping our cartilage and bones strong by helping our bodies to make collagen. Some research suggests that higher vitamin C intake appears to be associated with higher bone mass density and lower bone loss. Very high vitamin C levels have also been seen to help protect against hip and other bone fractures [6].
Epigenetics Liposomal Vitamin C is a great all round vitamin c supplement which gives you your daily dose of vitamin C in a more absorbable form that some regular vitamin c products, while being gentle on your stomach.
You don’t have to take all your vitamin c through ingesting it. Applying vitamin C-rich skin products can help to promote normal levels of collagen production and reduce the appearance of ageing skin, according to New York dermatologist Howard Sobel. It can also help to tackle blemishes and brown spots [7]. Epigenetics Wonder Epicollagen Serum is a perfect example of a daily moisturiser that is enriched with vitamin c and marine extracts to help fight signs of aging, while being intensely nourishing for the skin.
Research Links
[1] https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
[2] https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/4/339
[3] https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1815
[4] https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1815
[5] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20200263/
[6] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305782327_Vitamin_C_and_Bone_Health
[7] https://www.allure.com/story/vitamin-c-benefits-for-skin