Vitamin C
Vitamin C
Vitamin C facts
- Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin
- Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid
- Vitamin C is required to better absorb iron and folic acid (folate)
- Many drugs and alcohol deplete vitamin C
- People that smoke cigarettes need more vitamin C
- Vitamin C can interfere with many blood and other lab test results
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, which means that it is easily absorbed in the body (as most of the body is made of water and so are most of the foods eaten), but some of it may be lost in cooking.
Vitamin C is also known as “ascorbic acid”, which basically means “acid that prevents scurvy”, which is a vitamin C deficiency condition.
Vitamin C is required for the body to better absorb iron (especially the plant form of iron, called haeme iron) and folic acid (folate) from foods eaten rich with these nutrients.
Many medications and alcohol deplete vitamin C stores in the body, so these need to be replaced through extra supplementation. People taking any types of medications need to seek the advice of their doctor before trying vitamin C supplements.
People that smoke cigarettes need extra vitamin C because of the damaging effects of the substances that are in the tobacco. Studies have shown that vitamin C has a blocking effect on one of the carcinogenic substances in cigarettes (benzopyrene) to stop it from causing cell mutation and development of cancer. Research suggest that smokers may need up to three times more vitamin C than people who do not smoke just to combat the adverse health effects of the cigarettes – the same applies to passive smokers.
Vitamin C, especially at doses larger than 200mg, seems to affect the results of certain medical tests, including (but not limited to): blood glucose levels, calcium oxalate blood levels, blood in the stools, haemoglobin levels in the blood. Vitamin C supplements should be stopped at least 3-4 days prior to undergoing these tests and also during the tests duration. People that are still taking vitamin C at the time they are undergoing these types of medical tests, will have incorrect test results.
