Vitamin C: Essential Nutrient and Powerful Antioxidant

Ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C, was identified as early as 1734 as the essential factor in fresh fruits and vegetables that prevents the development of scurvy, a disease caused by a deficiency of this vitamin. The recognition of its importance was a significant milestone in nutritional science.

Vitamin C plays a critical role in the formation of intercellular substances within the body, including dentine, cartilage, and the protein matrix of bones. This makes it crucial for tooth formation, the healing of broken bones, and the overall wound healing process. Its importance extends to its involvement in oxidation-reduction reactions in the body, essential for cellular metabolism, and the synthesis of certain hormones, such as norepinephrine and vasopressin.

In the brain, ascorbic acid is pivotal for the metabolism and release of several neurotransmitters, including dopamine, which influences mood and cognitive function. This highlights its broader impact on mental health and neurological functions.

Beyond its physiological roles, vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant used extensively in the food industry. It helps to preserve the color, flavor, and nutrient content of various foods. Vitamin C also regenerates other antioxidants, such as fat-soluble vitamin E and water-soluble glutathione, enhancing their efficacy and allowing them to be reused multiple times.

Dietary sources of vitamin C are diverse. Tomato juice, when processed correctly, can be a decent source of this vital nutrient. Vegetables such as green peppers, cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are excellent to good sources, while peas, spinach, and lettuce are good to fair sources. Many fruits, including oranges, strawberries, and kiwis, also provide fair amounts of vitamin C.

However, it's important to consume vitamin C in appropriate amounts, as excessive intake can lead to adverse effects such as increased perspiration, nervous tension, and a lowered pulse rate. Maintaining a balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables is key to ensuring adequate vitamin C intake and reaping its numerous health benefits.
Vitamin C: Essential Nutrient and Powerful Antioxidant

Vitamin C in general

Vitamins are essential, because without them people will suffer ill health or even death. Some are needed in larger, more frequent amounts than others.

Vitamin C is an essential micronutrient required for normal metabolic functioning of the body. To the best of scientific knowledge, all animals and plants synthesize their own vitamin C, except for a small number of animals, including guinea pigs, humans, apes, the red-vented bulbul, a fruit eating bat and a species of trout, that cannot.

Vitamin C is a small molecule, a white crystalline substance similar in structure to glucose. It consists of a single molecule, called ascorbic acid or ascorbate.

The active part of the substance is the ascorbate ion, which can express itself as either an acid or a salt of ascorbate, that is neutral or slightly basic. Commercial vitamin C is often a mix of ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate and/or other ascorbates.

Probably the most well known of all vitamins C’s benefits are to powerful antioxidant properties that protect the body from the damaging effects of oxidation. It readily scavenges reactive oxygen, nitrogen and chlorine species, thereby effectively protecting other substrates from oxidative damage.

In 1974, Cameron and Pauling suggested that vitamin C might play a role in the supportive care of cancer patients.

Vitamin C is an efficient water soluble one electron reducing agent that would be predicted to have efficacy in preventing oxidative DNA damage.

The stability of vitamin C is of main concern because this is the most labile vitamin in foods. Its main loss during processing and storage is from oxidation, which is accelerated by light, oxygen heat, increased pH, high moisture content and the present of copper or ferrous salts.

Vitamin C in general

Ascorbic Acid

Ascorbic acid was recognized as early as 1734 as the factor in fresh fruit and vegetables that prevent the development of scurvy.

Ascorbic acid or vitamin C is required for the formation of intercellular substances in the body, including dentine, cartilage, and the protein network or bone. Hence, it is important in tooth formation, the healing of broken bones, and the healing of wounds.

It may be important to oxidation –reduction reactions in the body and to the production of certain hormones.

In the brain, ascorbic acid may perform important functions related to the metabolism and release of several neurotransmitter.

Vitamin C is not only an important nutrient but is also used as an antioxidant in various foods.

Vitamin C recharges fat soluble vitamin E and water soluble glutathione, allowing them, to be reused many times.

Tomato juice, if it has been processed properly, is a fair source of this vitamin. Green peppers, cabbage, broccoli, and sprout are excellent to good sources of vitamin C, while other vegetables such as peas, spinach, and lettuce are good to fair sources. Many fruit contain fair amounts of vitamin C.

Overdoses of vitamin C induce perspiration, nervous tension, and lowered pulse rate.
Ascorbic Acid