vitamin C
Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.The (water-soluble) vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is probably the best known of all vitamins. It is found primarily in fresh vegetables, is involved in many metabolic processes and protects the cells from aggressive oxygen compounds (free radicals). Find out everything you need to know about the topic: What is vitamin C good for? How much vitamin C do you need per day? Can Vitamin C Really Help With a Cold?
What is Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. The body has to take it in regularly with food. Vitamin C is found primarily in citrus fruits and fresh vegetables.
In addition, vitamin C is added as an additive (E300 to E304, E315 and E316) to many processed products such as sausage and meat products. It makes them more durable and keeps the original color.
What is vitamin C good for? Many metabolic processes in the human body require vitamin C. The vitamin has an effect, for example, on the optimal function of the immune system.
What is ascorbic acid and what is L-ascorbic acid?
Ascorbic acid is the chemical name of vitamin C. This name goes back to 1932 when it was first possible to isolate the vitamin from paprika. The term "ascorbine" comes from Latin and means something like "without scurvy". Scurvy is the best known vitamin C deficiency symptom. It used to be a dreaded disease among seafarers, with symptoms such as bleeding gums, fatigue, and swollen hands and feet. In industrialized countries, scurvy is almost non-existent.
There are four different stereoisomeric forms of ascorbic acid. Stereoisomers are compounds with the same chemical molecular formula and the same constitution, but different spatial structure. One of them is L-ascorbic acid. It is the only one that exhibits biological activity, that is: it is the only one that has an effect on living tissue.
What are the tasks of vitamin C in the body?
The positive vitamin C effect on the immune system is best known: the body needs the vitamin for a strong immune system.
In addition, ascorbic acid promotes the absorption and utilization of iron from plant foods. It is used to make bile acids and catecholamines like norepinephrine and adrenaline. In addition, vitamin C intercepts cell-damaging oxygen compounds in the body - so-called "free radicals", which arise during normal metabolic processes, but also through UV radiation, nicotine and medication. Ascorbic acid can also prevent the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines. For example, nitrosamines can arise during digestion and are also contained in some foods (e.g. in cured meat and sausage products).
Furthermore, vitamin C is important for the development of connective tissue (collagen) and for wound healing.
Vitamin C: skin protector and durability maker
Cosmetics manufacturers particularly appreciate the antioxidant properties of vitamin C. As a radical scavenger, it defuses aggressive oxygen compounds (free radicals) - with double benefits: On the one hand, ascorbic acid protects cosmetic products from spoilage through contact with oxygen (oxidative spoilage). On the other hand, thanks to vitamin C, the oxidative stress on the skin is reduced. If too many free radicals accumulate in a cell, they can damage or even destroy them - the skin ages faster.
The absorption of vitamin C from cosmetic products into the skin is improved when the ascorbic acid is packaged in liposomes. These are tiny, hollow spheres, the shell of which consists of a lipid double layer (lipid = fat), which is similar to the cell membrane. Inside there is an aqueous phase in which, for example, the water-soluble vitamin C can be transported. Due to the similar structure, the liposome shell can easily interact with the cell membrane and release its contents to the cell - at least that's what the experts suspect.
Vitamin C for a cold
In order for the immune system to work, we need vitamin C. Colds, runny noses and the like can also be obtained with an extra portion of vitamin C. It has not been scientifically proven whether high-dose vitamin C preparations can prevent or treat colds. In any case, the German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends avoiding pills and powders with ascorbic acid. There is enough vitamin C in daily food.
However, ascorbic acid does not tolerate heat very well. Vegetables should therefore only be heated carefully. Even when preparing the "hot lemon", which is so popular with a cold, the vitamin C content is quickly reduced by the hot water. At least the hot steam moisturizes the mucous membranes.
Vitamin C against cancer
Some studies suggest that vitamin C can improve the outcome of chemotherapy or radiation therapy while reducing side effects. In addition, less anti-cancer drugs seem to be necessary if vitamin C is also administered. High-dose vitamin C infusions are also said to have a cancer preventive effect. At least some studies indicate this. However, this effect has not yet been scientifically proven.
What is the daily requirement for vitamin C?
According to the German Nutrition Society (DGE), the recommended intake for vitamin C for adolescents aged 15 and over and adults is between 90 and 110 milligrams per day.
In part, it also depends on your gender how much vitamin C you need per day. In addition, other factors influence the vitamin C requirement, for example environmental, physical or psychological stress and illnesses. The daily vitamin C requirement can also be increased during breastfeeding.
Smokers also often have a larger daily requirement. Vitamin C is less concentrated in their blood because they have higher metabolic losses than non-smokers. The DGE therefore recommends an intake of 135 milligrams per day for women who smoke and 155 milligrams for men who smoke.
This is how much vitamin C you should consume according to the recommendation of the DGE:
|
Vitamin C mg / day | ||
|
masculine |
Female | |
|
baby | ||
|
0 to under 4 months |
20 |
20 |
|
4 to less than 12 months |
20 |
20 |
|
children | ||
|
1 to under 4 years |
20 |
20 |
|
4 to under 7 years |
30 |
30 |
|
7 to under 10 years |
45 |
45 |
|
10 to under 13 years |
65 |
65 |
|
13 to under 15 years |
85 |
85 |
|
Teenagers and adults | ||
|
15 to under 19 years |
105 |
90 |
|
19 to under 25 years |
110 |
95 |
|
25 to under 51 years |
110 |
95 |
|
51 to under 65 years |
110 |
95 |
|
65 years and older |
110 |
95 |
|
Pregnant women |
105 | |
|
Breastfeeding |
125 | |
Vitamin C: foods high in content
You can find out what should be on your menu so that you can cover your vitamin C requirements in the article Foods with a high vitamin C content
How does a vitamin C deficiency manifest itself?
The body's own reserves of vitamin C are sufficient for two to six weeks. After that, a deficiency can arise. How this manifests itself and what consequences it has can be read in the article Vitamin C Deficiency
How is an excess of vitamin C expressed?
Normally, a healthy person can cope well with an excess of vitamin C. However, there are exceptions; you can read more about this in the article Vitamin C Overdose
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