What can vitamin C do for your health?

Vitamin C is one of the safest and most effective nutrients, experts say.It may not be the cure for the common cold (though it’s thought to help
prevent more serious complications). But the benefits of vitamin C may
include protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular
disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling.
A recent study published in Seminars in Preventive and Alternative
Medicine that looked at over 100 studies over 10 years revealed a growing

list of benefits of vitamin C.

“Vitamin C has received a great deal of attention, and with good reason.
Higher blood levels of vitamin C may be the ideal nutrition marker for
overall health,” says study researcher Mark Moyad, MD, MPH, of the
University of Michigan. “The more we study vitamin C, the better our
understanding of how diverse it is in protecting our health, from
cardiovascular, cancer, stroke, eye health [and] immunity to living
longer.”
“But,” Moyad notes, “the ideal dosage may be higher than the recommended
dietary allowance.”
How Much Vitamin C Is Enough?
Most of the studies Moyad and his colleagues examined used 500 daily

milligrams of vitamin C to achieve health results. That’s much higher

than the RDA of 75-90 milligrams a day for adults. So unless you can eat
plenty of fruits and vegetables, you may need to take a dietary supplement of vitamin C to gain all the benefits, Moyad says. He suggests
taking 500 milligrams a day, in addition to eating five servings of
fruits and vegetables.
“It is just not practical for most people to consume the required
servings of fruits and vegetables needed on a consistent basis, whereas
taking a once-daily supplement is safe, effective, and easy to do,” Moyad
says. He also notes that only 10% to 20% of adults get the recommended
nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Moyad says there is no real downside to taking a 500-milligram
supplement, except that some types may irritate the stomach. That’s why
he recommends taking a non-acidic, buffered form of the vitamin. “The safe upper limit for vitamin C is 2,000 milligrams a day, and there is a great track record with strong evidence that taking 500 milligrams daily is safe,” he says.
Still, American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Dee Sandquist, RD, suggests doing your best to work more fruits and vegetables into your diet before taking supplements.
“Strive to eat nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily, because you will get a healthy dose of vitamin C along with an abundance of other vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that are good for disease prevention and overall health,” she says.
While a cup of orange juice or a half-cup of red pepper would be enough to meet your RDA for Vitamin C, here are all the foods and beverages you’d need to consume to reach 500 milligrams (mg):
Cantaloupe, 1 cup (8 ounces): 59mg
Orange juice, 1 cup: 97mg
Broccoli, cooked, 1 cup: 74mg
Red cabbage, 1/2 cup: 40mg
Green pepper, 1/2 cup, 60mg
Red pepper, 1/2 cup, 95mg
Kiwi, 1 medium: 70mg
Tomato juice, 1 cup: 45mg.