Many vitamins have strict limitations on dosing, but because humans don’t possess the enzymes necessary for vitamin C production, it is imperative that we acquire it via diet and vitamin supplementation. Furthermore, vitamin C is quickly in and out of the body. With this in mind, it is important to keep a constant level in the body. The best way to do this is by taking several doses of vitamin C throughout the day and making certain that your diet contains foods rich in vitamin C.
The recommended daily dosage handed down by the FDA is 90 mg daily for an adult male and 75 mg daily for an adult female, but knowing how quickly this vitamin is out of the system and that the human body doesn’t produce vitamin C on its own, it would seem that individuals engaging in regular physical activities as well as performance athletes would require much more than the recommended daily allowance.
I am a staunch believer that more is better with vitamin C. For healthy individuals, I like to see someone take in about 500 mg twice a day (on the low end). However, for someone who works and partakes in strenuous physical activity or when stress levels are elevated and the strength of the immune system comes into play, I feel it is important to take vitamin C anywhere from 500 mg three times daily up to 1,000 mg three times daily.
Vitamin C is touted as one of the safest vitamins in terms of side effects and adverse effects. Some of the worst reported side effects of taking too much vitamin C are stomach discomfort, stomach cramping, and the possibility of diarrhea. In any case, you should always consult with your doctor to fnd out if you have any underlying conditions or issues that would cause you to limit your daily vitamin C intake.
Taking vitamin C, either in food or supplement form, along with iron, helps increase iron absorption, which is very important for individuals who are anemic or those with a slow-functioning thyroid. Many people with a slow-functioning thyroid also have low iron and low vitamin C levels.
A GROCERY LIST OF POSITIVE BENEFITS
A potent antioxidant with increasingly diverse uses in health promotion and disease prevention. Vitamin C boosts production of the protein collagen, which not only keeps skin supple and youthful but also assists with wound healing, maintaining healthy cartilage and bones, and muscle repair after working out.
Helps to shorten the duration of common colds, and helps to strengthen the immune system.
Helps to prevent negative blood-vessel changes, plaque buildup, and hardening of the arteries that can lead to strokes, heart attacks, and other vascular diseases. Also helps maintain healthy arteries and arterial walls. This is very important, as the arterial lining is what pumps out nitric oxide and is essential for heart health, healthy blood fow, and optimal blood pressure; it can also reduce erectile dysfunction.
Reduces cellular damage caused by free radicals—environmental pollutants and toxic chemicals. By eliminating free radicals in the body, it decreases infammation and cell damage that can lead to malignant cells that cause cancerous tumors. It has been shown that by injecting high doses of vitamin C or taking high doses of vitamin C intravenously, cancer cells can be destroyed while healthy cells are saved, and in some, tumor growth was even slowed. I truly believe that high levels of intravenous vitamin C can stop the cancer process. It may not cure it—but I have seen, firsthand, how it stops cancer in its tracks!
Individuals with sufficient vitamin C levelsare able to burn more fat during exercise than those with depleted vitamin C levels. In addition, those with increased vitamin C levels are also able to shorten their recovery time post-workout over individuals with depleted vitamin C levels.
Very effective, when taken in large quantities, at reducing stress and cortisol. Decreased cortisol levels and eliminating stress are very important for peak athletic performance and especially important in bodybuilding when prepping for a competition. I regularly increase athletes’ vitamin C dosing during contest prep because of cortisol issues. – FLEX
