One of the most important vitamins that supports a child’s immune system, controls infections and heals wounds, it is not made in the body and is not stored. The richest sources of vitamin C are fresh vegetables and fruits. Accordingly, oranges, tangerines, lemons, bell peppers, cauliflower, as well as berries and tomatoes.

Is a glass of orange juice or a vitamin C pill the right choice when you feel like sneezing? Supplementing the body with this vitamin was a practice promoted in the 1970s by two-time Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, who advocated daily megadoses of vitamin C—that’s 12 to 24 oranges—as a means of preventing colds and some chronic diseases.

Megadoses do not help

Meanwhile, studies have shown that overdosing has no health benefits. Thus, at doses exceeding 1000 mg per day, absorption is reduced by 50% because the body has a limited absorption capacity and once the tissues are saturated, the excess is excreted in the urine. The anti-cold potential of vitamin C has not been confirmed, although this opinion is popular.

Research has shown that megadoses, meaning more than 500 mg of vitamin C supplements, have no significant effect on preventing the common cold. However, they may be of modest benefit in reducing the duration and severity of colds in some people. In adults, an overdose – both food and tablet – is not toxic. But, despite this, in quantities exceeding 3000 mg per day, side effects may occur: diarrhea, stomach pain, flatulence.

Correct amounts

For children and pregnant women, vitamin C is of particular importance, as it helps to improve the absorption of iron when taken together. In addition to the absorption of iron, vitamin C is involved in many functions of the body. Heals wounds, burns and bleeding gums, accelerates healing after operations, helps counteract the formation of cancer-causing substances.

In addition, it helps lower blood pressure and prevents bone loss, especially in older men. But what are the correct amounts of vitamin C established by experts? According to the US National Institutes of Health, babies who are breastfed or formula fed – most of them – get enough vitamin C through these methods. Dry or boiled cow’s milk is not recommended because this milk contains naturally low in vitamin C, and boiling can destroy it.

The recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C for healthy people is 15 milligrams per day for children 1 to 3 years old, 25 milligrams for children 4 to 8 years old, and 45 milligrams for children 9 to 13 years old. For adolescent boys between the ages of 14 and 18, the recommended amount is 75 milligrams per day, and for girls of the same age, 65 milligrams.

Adult men need 95 milligrams of vitamin C daily, and women need 75 milligrams. Pregnant and lactating women need 80 and 120 milligrams of vitamin C daily, respectively. NIH experts recommend that children get all the vitamin C they need from food. According to the source cited above, for children from 1 to 3 years of age, the permissible daily amount of vitamin C is 400 mg; from 4 to 8 years — 650 mg, from 9 to 13 years — 1200 mg. The amount increases to 1,800 mg for 14- to 18-year-olds, while for those 19 and older, the amount is 2,000 mg.

The biggest enemies of vitamin C

Reports published by the US National Institutes of Health show that ascorbic acid in food oxidizes and denatures at 70 degrees Celsius. Therefore, it is recommended not to boil vegetables or fruits with vitamin C, but only to steam them.

By the way, the biggest enemies of vitamin C are water, cooking, heat, light, oxygen and smoking. Added to this is carbon monoxide, which destroys vitamin C, so those who live in cities should increase their doses of this nutrient. Since vitamin C is eliminated from the body in about 2-3 hours – depending on the amount of food in the stomach – it is recommended to take vitamin C with breakfast and dinner to maintain a constant level of this nutrient in the blood.

High doses of vitamin C are contraindicated in people with genetic diseases that cause iron overload, such as hemochromatosis and thalassemia.

Symptoms of vitamin C deficiency

According to harvard.edu, vitamin C deficiency is rare in developed countries. However, it can occur on fruit and vegetable-restricted diets that provide less than 10 mg per day for a month or more.

People who actively or passively smoke, use drugs or alcohol are also at risk of developing a deficiency. Scurvy is a disease caused by a severe deficiency of vitamin C. The symptoms of the disease result from the loss of collagen, which weakens the connective tissue. Spots appear on the skin caused by bleeding and bruising from damaged blood vessels, and wounds heal with difficulty. Swollen gums, bleeding and possible loss of teeth, hair, fatigue, malaise are other signs to look out for.

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