Boost your immunity with vitamin C

 

Vitamin-C as Immunity Booster

Authur name:  Nazia Afzal

Introduction

There is a need to take some special dietary components to improve our health. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is one of the most effective and essential nutritional component that improves health by boosting our immunity system, when taken in a right amount. The immune system is a system of specific organs, cells, tissues, proteins and chemicals that protect us from many pathogens like parasites, bacteria, fungi, viruses and cancer cells. 

Sources of vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin that cannot be synthesized by our body. So it must be taken from our regular diet. Vitamin C is abundantly found in citrus fruits including orange, grape fruits, lemon and lime. It is also present in other fruits and vegetables like strawberries, kiwifruit, tomatoes, red and green peppers, potatoes, Brussels sprouts and broccoli etc. It is only present in raw fruits and vegetables as by heating or storing for longer period, they lose vitamin C.

Benifits of vitamin C

Vitamin C affects our immune system in different ways. It is required for healing of wounds, development and healing of tissues and to keep our skin healthy by improving collagen production. It also helps in repair and maintenance of bones, cartilage, skin and teeth in a healthy condition.

Act as antioxidant

Vitamin C acts as antioxidant and fights free radicals that are created by our body during normal metabolism or due to environmental stressors cause by ultraviolet radiation and air pollution. Its antioxidant activity prevents us from cancer, ageing of skin and reduces inflammation that helps to improve our immune function.

Boost up immunity

Vitamin C stimulates the growth of lymphocytes that increases number of proteins and antibodies that can attack foreign or harmful substances in blood.  It also improves phagocytes activity, an immune cell that kills harmful bacteria and other particles. It also protects us from osteoarthritis that is caused by the loss of cartilage. Some studies showed that taking a high amount of ascorbic acid in a day may reduce the symptoms in people suffering from cold. Its dose reduces 8% infection of cold in adults and 14% in children but it does not show any effect against coronavirus. Other benefits include protection against cardiovascular disease, immune system deficiencies, eye disease, prenatal health problems and skin wrinkling.

The production and activity of interferons and antibodies are supported by vitamin C. Interferons facilitate the cells to initiate their protective cellular defenses against pathogens when they are detected in the body. Good antibody function is essential to develop a strong immune system that can be improved by the intake of vitamin C. It is generally present in white blood cells and promotes the immune reaction.

Is it good to take excess amount of vitamin C?

Taking excess vitamin C in a day doesn’t means that our body is absorbing more. Vitamin C cannot be stored in body and excess amount is excreted through urine. The recommended amount of vitamin C is 100-200 mg per day for an adult and it is greater than that for many other vitamins. It varies according to sex, age, pregnancy and breastfeeding status. A high dose of ascorbic acid that exceeds a daily level of 2000 milligram can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain and nausea in various people. But its insufficiency results in fatal disease, scurvy. It is the weakening of collagenous structures that result in weakened immunity against diseases and reduced wound healing capacity of body. 

Some people do not met vitamin C recommendations in their diet due to several reasons including high intake of alcohols and smoking, poor dietary habits, unbalanced eating, diseases, pollution, stress and some other economic reasons. Vitamins supplementation helps us to reduce this gap by proving essential nutrients directly to body. These supplements are available in the form of capsules, tablets and more in combination with other necessary nutrients to provide various health benefits. But the good way is to take them through food because body absorbs vitamins better when they come from our food.