It has multiple benefits for our body. It has antioxidant effects, helps wound healing and improves iron absorption. Likewise, it contributes to the correct operation. It is a nutrient that is widely used in the beauty industry, as it helps to It also contributes to . For this reason, it is common to see a serum with vitamin C or some anti-aging cream enriched with it.
Our body needs a certain amount of this nutrient per day to function properly. However, an excess can have negative consequences for our body. The experts at www.dosfarma.com, the leading Spanish online pharmacy on the market, explain how much vitamin C each person needs per day, depending on their age:
– Babies up to 6 months: 40 mg
– Babies between 7 and 12 months: 50 mg
– Children from 1 to 3 years: 15 mg
– Children from 4 to 8 years: 25 mg
– Children from 9 to 13 years: 45 mg
– Adolescent males from 14 to 18 years: 75 mg
– Adolescent females 14 to 18 years old: 65 mg
– Adult men: 90 mg
– Adult women: 75 mg
– Pregnant adolescents: 80 mg
– Pregnant adults: 85 mg
– Breastfeeding adolescents: 115 mg
– Breastfeeding women: 120 mg
This nutrient is obtained almost exclusively from the diet. But ascorbic acid is sensitive to light, heat and oxygen in the air. Therefore, cooking methods with water are the ones that reduce vitamin C content the most, so it is recommended that at least one serving of fruit and vegetables be consumed fresh and raw. By the way, the famous saying of mothers “drink the juice fast or the vitamin C will go away” is a hoax, vitamin C is not lost shortly after squeezing oranges, it can last even 24 hours.
Foods that provide us with more ascorbic acid
1. Fruits
Although the orange is the fruit that we most associate with vitamin C, it is not the one that has the most. The winner is the guava, since 100 grams contain more than 220 mg of this vitamin (more than double what an adult man needs). It is closely followed by black currant (about 200 mg per 100 grams). Kiwifruit is also a great source of this nutrient, with about 100 mg per 100 grams. Grapes and strawberries contain 90 and 80 mg/100 g, respectively. Persimmon provides 60 mg/100 g, while lemon and orange, 50 mg/100 g.
2. Vegetables
Red pepper is the vegetable that contains the most. Just 100 grams (less than a whole raw bell pepper) already has 140 mg of this vitamin. In second and third place, Brussels sprouts and broccoli, with about 100 mg/100 g. Then cauliflower (70 mg/100 g) and spinach (60 mg/100 g).
3. Others
There are other foods that can help us get the recommended amount. This is the case, for example, of parsley, which contains 130 mg per 100 grams, or basil, with 60 mg per 100 grams. They will provide a small amount because few aromatic herbs are used in a dish, but it all adds up to get the daily dose.
Scurvy, the consequence of a lack of vitamin C
There are many foods that provide us with enough vitamin C each day. However, if you notice tiredness, irritability or joint pain, it may be due to a shortage of this nutrient. The reason is that some people need an extra, such as smokers. A person who smokes or is exposed to tobacco smoke should take 35 mg more than the recommended daily dose. For this reason, if any of these symptoms are noticed, it is likely that it is necessary to increase the intake of certain foods or resort to a vitamin supplement.
Taking too little ascorbic acid poses a real risk when consuming less than 10 mg per day. With these amounts, you can suffer from scurvy. It is a very rare disease, because it is relatively easy to ingest vitamin C. Some of its symptoms are general weakness, poor wound healing, bleeding gums, anemia or skin hemorrhages. In any case, if we notice any of these symptoms, we should see a specialist.
excess vitamin C
These days, it’s easier to get too much vitamin C than not enough. In Spain, the average dose for adults is around 1,650 mg per day. But is it dangerous to take too much vitamin C?
These are the maximum amounts that can be ingested per day:
– Boys and girls from 1 to 3 years: 400 mg
– Boys and girls from 4 to 8 years old: 650 mg
– Boys and girls from 9 to 13 years old: 1,200 mg
– Adolescents (men and women) from 14 to 18 years: 1,800 mg
– Adults (men and women): 2,000 mg
From DosFarma they explain that an excess of vitamin C can cause digestive problems. Although it is not toxic, it can lead to diarrhoea, nausea, colic, heartburn or abdominal pain. Vitamin C is water-soluble, that is, it is not stored in fat, so excesses are eliminated in the urine normally without problems. The dose ingested must be very high, or exceed the limit for several days, so that the body is not able to expel all that it does not need and any of these symptoms occur.
However, it is dangerous to exceed these doses if you suffer from hemochromatosis, a disease that causes an excessive accumulation of iron. This is because ascorbic acid favors the absorption of iron, which is why it conflicts with the disease.
Likewise, the use of cosmetics containing vitamin C for the face must be monitored. An excess of this nutrient applied directly to the face can irritate sensitive skin, so it is important to use only dermatologically tested products and always follow the recommendations of the manufacturer and pharmacists.
Amanda Dutruc, DosFarma pharmacist, explains: “Consuming an adequate dose of vitamin C is essential for our body to function properly. It is quite simple to consume the recommended dose, because eating a kiwi or two oranges already provide us with more than what we need when day. A varied diet, containing fruits and vegetables, is the best way to achieve it. However, we must be attentive to the signals of our body and interpret that it is asking us for more, to know if we need a little help with some supplement or a change in diet. At DosFarma we always recommend following the advice of experts, to avoid the negative consequences of too high a dose or lack of vitamin C.”
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