Would you like to hear something interesting about Vitamin C? Almost all mammals produce Vitamin C as ascorbic acid in their livers. But not humans. In fact, almost all animals in the Animal Kingdom produce Vitamin C every day to maintain their health. Why don’t humans produce Vitamin C? How much Vitamin C do you need to take? What effect does Vitamin C have in your body?
How much Vitamin C do you need?
Let’s answer the easy question first: How much Vitamin C does a person need to take? Well, when animals produce Vitamin C it is according to their needs at that time in their lives. A young dolphin may produce much more Vitamin C than an older sibling or parent. However, all dolphins – and all other animals – produce more Vitamin C when they have an infection, when they are exposed to toxins and when they are under stress.
So, we understand that people need different amounts of Vitamin C at different times in their lives. They also need more Vitamin C when they face challenges to their health and well-being. In past
Weekly Wellness Reports, we discussed how a
Vitamin C flush can help you determine how much Vitamin C you can use during a given period of your life. The Vitamin C flush was actually recommended by Linus Pauling protégé, Dr. Alfred Libby, and by the Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Russell Jaffe. See below for more information on the benefits of the Vitamin C flush.
How your body uses Vitamin C
What does your body do with all that Vitamin C? Well, Vitamin C makes things happen. In the human body, Vitamin C makes almost everything happen!
Bones – All the minerals in your bones require Vitamin C to turn them from lifeless rocks into health-building minerals.
Blood – Your blood needs Vitamin C to convert iron into hemoglobin.
Thyroid – Your thyroid gland needs Vitamin C to convert copper into thyroid enzymes that carry protein.
Collagen – All of the collagen in your skin, gums and the rest of your body requires Vitamin C to convert dead protein from your diet into living tissue. This makes you look good as well as feel good!
Immune system function – Vitamin C activates a certain kind of immune cell called a lymphocyte. Lymphocytes, as the name implies, live mostly in your lymph system. However, they can travel in your bloodstream as well. Lymphocytes that have been activated by your thymus gland can go anywhere in your body to help fight disease. The thymus gland uses Vitamin C to program lymphocytes to search out one specific target and help destroy it.
Antioxidant protection – Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. Your body uses it to make glutathione – the “mother” of all antioxidants. What’s more, all other antioxidants can be refreshed by Vitamin C. Important antioxidants like Vitamins A and E can have their lifespan extended by Vitamin C. Antioxidants protect you from premature aging.
Vitamin C has so many functions that you could spend a lifetime studying this one important vitamin. Do the
Vitamin C flush and determine how much Vitamin C you can use each day. I suggest that you repeat this procedure quarterly – at the change of the seasons. You will find your need for Vitamin C will diminish when you eat fresh fruits and vegetables. It will increase when you are under stress or facing illness.
Major Food Sources
| Food |
Serving size |
Vitamin C content (mg) |
| Strawberries |
1 cup |
95 |
| Papaya |
1 cup |
85 |
| Kiwi |
1 medium |
70 |
| Orange |
1 medium |
70 |
| Pepper, red or green, raw |
½ cup |
65 |
| Broccoli, cooked |
½ cup |
60 |
| Cantaloupe |
¼ medium |
60 |
| Kale, cooked |
1 cup |
55 |
| Brussels sprouts, cooked |
½ cup |
50 |
| Orange juice |
½ cup |
50 |
| Pepper, red or green, cooked |
½ cup |
50 |
| Mango |
1 cup |
45 |
| Grapefruit |
½ medium |
40 |
| Snow peas, fresh, cooked |
½ cup |
40 |
| Grapefruit juice |
½ cup |
35 |
| Artichoke, boiled |
1 medium |
30 |
| Sweet potato, baked with skin |
1 medium |
28 |
| Potato, baked with skin |
1 medium |
25 |
| Avocado |
1 medium |
24 |
| Pineapple |
1 cup |
24 |
| Cauliflower, raw |
½ cup |
23 |
| Snow peas, frozen, cooked |
½ cup |
20 |
Source: EBSCO
A final word on Vitamin C
The final question is: Why don’t humans produce Vitamin C like other animals? The answer is, no one knows. What we do know is that people are healthier when they eat Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables. And in this stress-filled, toxic world we have created, more Vitamin C is needed than a depleted diet can provide. This is why we have supplements to help us compensate for the special circumstances we face in today’s world.
Take Control of Your Health
- Eat Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables:
- Sweet and spicy peppers
- Most fruits, especially berries and citrus
- Dark green and yellow vegetables
- Leafy green vegetables
- Eat the right amount:
- Children: 5 servings of fruit and vegetables
- Women: 7 servings of fruit and vegetables
- Men: 9 servings of fruit and vegetables daily
- Remember, cooking destroys Vitamin C
- Take your Healthy Aging supplements
- Do the Vitamin C flush quarterly
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Learn more!
- Vitamin C Flush
Learn about how the Vitamin C flush can detoxify your body.
- Getting to the Heart of a Healthful Diet: Fruits and Vegetables
Here’s why fruits and vegetables are good for you.
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