Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, meaning your body can’t produce it. Yet, it has many roles and has been linked to impressive health benefits. It’s water-soluble and found in many fruits and vegetables, including oranges, strawberries, kiwi fruit, bell peppers, broccoli, kale, and spinach. The recommended daily intake for vitamin C is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men.
While it’s commonly advised to get your vitamin C intake from foods, many people turn to supplements to meet their needs.
Here are 7 scientifically-proven benefits of taking a vitamin C supplement.
- May reduce your risk of chronic disease and high blood pressure
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can strengthen your body’s natural defences and boost the immune system. Studies show that consuming more vitamin C can increase your blood antioxidant levels by up to 30%. This helps the body’s natural defences fight inflammation. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that can boost your blood antioxidant levels. This may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease.
- Helps prevent iron deficiency
Iron is an important nutrient that has a variety of functions in the body. It’s essential for making red blood cells and transporting oxygen throughout the body. Vitamin C supplements can help improve the absorption of iron from the diet. Vitamin C assists in converting iron that is poorly absorbed, such as plant-based sources of iron, into a form that is easier to absorb in our bodies. If you have low iron levels, consuming more vitamin-C-rich foods or taking a vitamin C supplement may help improve your blood iron levels.
- Boosts immunity
Vitamin C helps encourage the production of white blood cells which help protect the body against infection. It also helps these white blood cells function more effectively while protecting them from damage by potentially harmful molecules, such as free radicals. Vitamin C is an essential part of the skin’s defence system. It’s actively transported to the skin, where it can act as an antioxidant and help strengthen the skin’s barriers.
- Helps in anti-ageing and forming your skin
As an antioxidant, it provides protection from free radicals, helps to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, brightens and promotes an even skin tone. It also works to help shield the skin from free radical damage caused by environmental aggressors, while increasing protection against sun damage.
As we age, our skin becomes drier, thinner and less elastic. And as collagen production is reduced, the skin tends to sag. While ageing is inevitable, daily use of vitamin C helps to slow it down. Using it topically is essential: it gets to skin cells directly to boost collagen and elastin that help keep your skin firm and reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
Vitamin C also brightens your complexion and helps even out skin tone and discolouration. Ditch tired-looking skin and give it back its radiance, revealing a glowing complexion! Incorporating this anti-ageing all-star into your daily skincare routine is simply a must.
Source: Healthline
