Vitamin C – The All-Rounder

Vitamin C is surely among the best-known vitamins, being the ultimate weapon for supporting our immune system through a cold. And every one of us has had a cold at some point. But vitamin C has many other important functions in the body that support our health. Strictly speaking, vitamin C influences 95% of our metabolism. So we need it always, not only when we are ill. A vitamin C deficiency can therefore encourage almost any illness — and conversely there is hardly an illness that vitamin C cannot improve.

Unlike most animals and plants, we humans cannot make vitamin C ourselves and have to take it in through food. Vitamin C is indispensable not only for forming collagen, for our nervous system and for our immune system — it is at the same time one of the most important water-soluble antioxidants. It protects our cells from being destroyed by free radicals.

Vitamin C protects our cells from oxidative stress and is therefore an important protector in the fight against free radicals and against viral or bacterial intruders. And we meet a great many of those in daily life, whether through pollution, stress, toxins in our food and much else.

Vitamin C reduces tiredness, normalises the working of the immune and nervous systems and of the mind, and normalises energy metabolism. Without vitamin C no collagen can form. Collagen is the substance that makes up our connective tissue. It also builds blood vessels, cartilage, bones, teeth and the skin, and keeps them working normally. That is why we are solid matter. Without vitamin C we would simply be a broth of cells.

Since our skin is likewise made of collagen, we age faster when vitamin C is lacking and therefore get wrinkles sooner. Vitamin C also supports — through its part in forming collagen and repairing tissue — wound healing.

Vitamin C raises the uptake of iron and improves the use of calcium, and it works against inflammation. Vitamin C also helps raise the number of our white blood cells, which are part of the body's own immune system. So vitamin C boosts the immune system and makes the body more resistant to viruses, bacteria, fungi, mould and so on. When fighting a chronic illness in particular, vitamin C in the right form and dose matters a great deal.

The right form of vitamin C helps detoxify the liver, the blood and the lymph, strengthens the adrenal glands, repairs damaged neurotransmitters and helps the central nervous system recover. Vitamin C helps your body detoxify effectively.

What vitamin C does, at a glance:

• forming collagen
• the nervous system
• the immune system
• energy metabolism
• protection against free radicals and thereby against oxidative stress and ageing
• the uptake of iron and the use of calcium
• detoxifying the liver, the blood and the lymph
• recovery of the nervous system
• wound healing

A vitamin C deficiency can be encouraged by an unhealthy diet, stress, too little sleep, medicines, infectious illness, impaired kidney function — really by any illness — heavy physical work, competitive sport, drinking alcohol and so on. During pregnancy and breastfeeding the need for vitamin C is higher as well.

It can also happen that, because of functional problems in the digestive tract, not enough vitamin C can pass through the gut lining into the bloodstream. That too can lead to a deficiency.

A lack of vitamin C can encourage a wide range of symptoms, which impair cell function, weaken the immune defences and let free radicals gain the upper hand — leading, link by link, to more and more illness.

The following symptoms can point to a vitamin C deficiency:

• a weakened immune system, susceptibility to infection
• inflamed gums, bleeding gums
• delayed wound healing and bleeding
• muscle and joint pain
• oedema
• dry, rough skin and small red or blue marks from fragile blood vessels
• impaired formation of collagen
• high fever
• exhaustion and lack of energy
• severe diarrhoea
• problems with balance and dizziness
• a weak heart
• depression, and many other symptoms

Without vitamin C we cannot survive long.

When we are healthy, look after ourselves and eat a varied, fresh and balanced diet, a severe vitamin C deficiency is unlikely. These ideal conditions unfortunately apply to almost nobody these days. We face so many demands in daily life that very few can meet them. That is why almost every one of us has a higher need for vitamin C.

We have a higher need for vitamin C in situations such as these:

• with an unhealthy diet
• under stress
• with too little sleep
• when taking medicines
• with infectious illness
• with impaired kidney function
• with functional problems in the digestive tract
• with heavy physical work and competitive sport
• when drinking alcohol and smoking
• in pregnancy and while breastfeeding

Fortunately many foods contain vitamin C, so a healthy and varied diet can supply us well.

The best sources of vitamin C include:

• rosehips
• acerola cherries
• camu camu
• exotic fruit such as kiwi, mango, guava, papaya, pineapple
• citrus fruit
• berries
• tomatoes
• vegetables such as peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach and kale
• freshly pressed fennel or celery juice
• potatoes and sweet potatoes

Rosehips, camu camu and acerola cherries can be taken as high-quality powders, for instance. These are rich in natural vitamin C. With powders, always look for organic quality.

All kinds of fruit and vegetables contain some vitamin C, so it is worth building plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables into the daily diet. That is how we can raise our vitamin C level naturally.

Note that long storage and cooking lower the vitamin C content. It is best, then, always to eat fruit and vegetables fresh and raw. Where you do cook, steaming is the gentlest method.

Anyone whose need for vitamin C is higher because of the demands of daily life or because of illness can cover it easily with food supplements. Most vitamin C supplements almost always contain vitamin C as ascorbic acid. This is acidic in character, so people who are sensitive tolerate it less well and it can cause digestive problems.

Very well tolerated is vitamin C as Ester-C (calcium ascorbate and magnesium ascorbate). Ester-C is also better absorbed by our body. Even people with a very sensitive stomach can take this form of vitamin C. Ester-C is absorbed into the blood twice as fast and stays bioavailable in the body twice as long as ascorbic acid. Good Ester-C supplements also contain bioflavonoids, which support your body further and improve the uptake of vitamin C.

Another very good option is liposomal vitamin C, which holds a potent and bioavailable form of the vitamin. Liposomal vitamin C is absorbed into the blood very quickly and therefore works fast and effectively. With a sensitive stomach, Ester-C is the better choice — or start with small amounts of liposomal vitamin C and raise them steadily.

The German Nutrition Society's recommendation for vitamin C

Dosage recommendation of the German Nutrition Society:

• infants (0–4 months): 20 mg
• infants (4–12 months): 20 mg
• children (1–4 years): 20 mg
• children (4–7 years): 30 mg
• children (7–10 years): 45 mg
• children (10–13 years): 65 mg
• adolescents (13–15 years): 85 mg
• adolescents (15–19 years): 100 mg (male), 90 mg (female)
• adults (19–65 years): 110 mg (male), 95 mg (female)
• adults (65+ years): 110 mg (male), 95 mg (female)
• pregnant women: 105 mg
• breastfeeding women: 125 mg

Source: German Nutrition Society

Recommended vitamin C dosage in orthomolecular medicine

Dosage recommendations in orthomolecular medicine aim to use nutrients in optimal amounts to prevent and treat illness. The recommended doses of vitamin C can therefore be considerably higher than the generally recommended daily amounts.

Prevention and general health:

• adults: 1,000 to 3,000 mg a day
• children: a dose according to body weight, as a rule 250 to 1,000 mg a day

Vitamin experts around the world put the daily need at 30–50 mg per kg of body weight.

Acute health problems (a cold or an infection, for example):

• adults: 3,000 to 10,000 mg a day, split across several doses
• children: higher doses according to body weight, as a rule 1,000 to 3,000 mg a day, split across several doses (please discuss with a doctor)

Chronic illness and specific health conditions:

• adults: 10,000 to 20,000 mg a day or more, depending on individual tolerance and under medical supervision
• children: correspondingly adjusted doses under medical supervision

Note that the need for vitamin C is higher on very stressful days and after exercise too. The best dose can vary with individual health, stress levels and environmental factors. If in doubt, it is advisable to have an experienced doctor adjust it.

It is recommended to raise the vitamin C dose slowly, to check tolerance and to avoid side effects such as diarrhoea. High doses should always be split across several servings through the day, to ensure even absorption and a stable blood level. Vitamin C should not be taken together with selenium. Both are antioxidants and inactivate one another.

Although vitamin C is water-soluble and any excess is normally passed out in the urine, a very high intake can lead to side effects:

• digestive complaints such as nausea, diarrhoea and cramps
• kidney stones: taking too much vitamin C can lead to kidney stones forming in some people, although it is not yet clear whether vitamin C is really the cause
• raised iron uptake: in people with conditions such as haemochromatosis, which lead to excessive iron uptake, a high vitamin C intake can be harmful

Vitamin C can interact with some medicines. There are medicines that influence the uptake or metabolism of vitamin C, among them antacids, hormonal contraceptives, high doses of aspirin, barbiturates and corticosteroids. And there are medicines that vitamin C can influence, among them anticoagulants, statins and iron preparations.

There are claims that vitamin C affects how well certain chemotherapy drugs work. The data are contradictory, though. Some studies suggest that vitamin C raises their effectiveness, others claim the opposite. If you take medicines, it is always advisable to discuss high-dose food supplements with your doctor.

Preclinical studies have shown promising results on the effect of high-dose vitamin C on cancer cells. Laboratory investigations have shown that vitamin C in high concentrations kills cancer cells specifically, while healthy cells remain undamaged.

The mechanism rests on hydrogen peroxide forming in the immediate surroundings of the cancer cells, which leads to their death. Research findings also suggest that vitamin C can influence the activity of certain enzymes and bring about epigenetic changes to DNA, which may inhibit the growth of cancer. These effects have so far been observed only in cell cultures and animal models, though, so further clinical studies in people are needed to confirm the effectiveness in cancer treatment.

Vitamin C infusions can improve the quality of life of people with cancer and ease side effects of chemotherapy such as fatigue, loss of appetite and nausea. In complementary cancer care this is already used alongside chemotherapy.