Vitamin C: Why You Can’t Assume You’re Getting Enough

Many benefits of vitamin C have been identified since the consumption of citrus fruit was first recognised as the immediately effective cure and preventative for the scurvy which so dreadfully afflicted the long distance sailors of a few centuries ago.

Numerous studies have recognised the vitamin as a possible protector against coronary heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, hypertension and cancer, to name but a few, and it is possible that all of these effects stem ultimately from vitamin C’s acknowledged role as a powerful anti-oxidant, active in preventing the free radical damage which is a known cause of premature ageing and many chronic degenerative diseases.

So the absence of acute deficiency diseases such as scurvy in modern affluent societies should not be taken as implying that the typical Western diet contains an adequate intake of vitamin C for optimum long-term health.

The United States Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C is 90 mg per day for a healthy, non-smoking man and 75 mg for a woman. But these suggested requirements are increased to 125mg and 110 mg respectively in the case of smokers, a tacit acknowledgement of the increased requirement for this vitamin which increased toxic stress places on the body. But these RDAs nevertheless appear to be set at a level sufficient only to avoid outright deficiency disease.

To be sure of obtaining all the optimum benefits of vitamin C, the authoritative Linus Pauling Institute has recommended a daily minimum intake of at least 400 mg. This amount has been shown to achieve saturation levels of the vitamin within the body’s tissues in healthy young adults who are non-smokers. To get this in perspective, even the consumption of the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables may provide just 200 mg of vitamin C, whilst even commercial multi-vitamin supplements typically provide only around 60 mg.

But the real story’s actually even worse than this, not only because all too few people actually manage to consume the recommended quantities of fruit and vegetables, but because the nutritional quality of those that we do consume is poor, and getting worse.

As long ago as 1936, Senate Document 264 noted that the poor quality of American farm soils was leading to widespread nutritional deficiencies, and the 1992 Earth Summit reported that mineral concentrations in US farm soils were 85% lower than those of a hundred years ago.

Nor does the problem lie just in the soil. The modern Western diet’s preference for highly refined grains, and the treatment of fruits and vegetables with preservatives, dyes, pesticides and even radiation is a proven disaster for vitamin and mineral retention, as well as a significant toxic assault on the body.

Indeed, the problem for us in the twenty-first century is that our environment seems as though it might have been expressly designed for ill-health. Daily we’re exposed to a kind of toxic soup of pollutants such as industrial emissions, car exhausts, pesticides, herbicides, dyes and all kinds of everyday household chemicals. But as the liver works ever harder in an increasingly desperate struggle to detoxify the body, an unwelcome side effect is that it produces enormous quantities of the free radicals which are amongst the chief contributors to premature ageing and degenerative disease.
In these adverse circumstances it can only make sense to ensure that the body is as lavishly provided as possible with the top quality anti-oxidants of which vitamin C is certainly one of the most important.

Best Multi Vitamin

When choosing the best multi vitamin, you have to ask yourself certain questions. For example, there are many different multi vitamins on the market today. There are those for children, men and women. There are those for senior citizens, pregnant women, active women, active men and even teenagers. There are also many different brands and forms of multivitamins. While many multivitamins are tablets or pills, others are made of gel that are easier to swallow, some are chewable and liquid vitamin supplements are now becoming all the rage.

About 40 percent of the people in the United States take a multivitamin, but only seven percent actually get the nutrients their body needs on a daily basis. Vitamins give us the nutrients we need to fight off disease, keep our bones healthy and strong, protect our skin and hair, ward off colds, keep our cardiovascular system in check, help with pregnancy, give us energy and in general, just keep us healthy. Vitamins we need for every day living are found in most foods, but most people do not get the right amounts of these foods to get the proper nutrients needed from these essential vitamins.

When choosing the best multivitamin, you should first learn something about different vitamins and what they do. For example, if you are an older woman who has a family history of osteoporosis, the best multivitamin for you would be one that contains additional calcium. You might even want to talk to your physician about taking additional calcium tablets.

If you have children who frequently catch colds, especially if they are school age, the best multivitamin for them may be one with extra Vitamin C. There are several children vitamins on the market today and some have extra vitamin C. It is very difficult to overdose on vitamin C, so many parents opt for vitamins that contain extra vitamin C, particularly if they have school aged children who are always catching colds.

If you are a man who needs an extra boost, there are several options for you. In addition to many vitamin supplements that will do everything from increase your energy level to your libido, there are many different multivitamins that contain ingredients you need to stay active and fit. Read the label of the different multivitamins available for men and see what types of supplements are included. Depending on your needs, the best multivitamin for you can be one that promotes good cholesterol or one that gives your more stamina.

All multivitamins have supplement information printed on the back label. This will tell you what percentage of the nutrients are included in the vitamins. Read this carefully to make sure that you are getting enough of what you need.
You should be getting plenty of B vitamins in your diet. These vitamins are the most beneficial in warding off disease as they are powerful antioxidants. They are often found in dark green vegetables, of which people do not eat enough. Make certain that your multivitamin contains 100 percent of the daily recommended dosages for all of the B vitamins.