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Vitamin C: An essential supplement to boost immunity

Building immunity is the most crucial thing one needs to take care of during this pandemic time.

By Lakshmi KrishnanunniPublished 4 years ago 4 min read
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We all have certain unanswered questions in our mind like where, when and how the virus strikes us. Yes! Due to the current paranoid situation, it can bring mental stress and financial hurdles which ultimately lower our immunity. So, in this hour of emergency, all we can do is to enhance immunity by consuming healthy foods, practicing a healthy lifestyle, doing yoga, meditation, maintaining an exercise routine, and by following a good respiratory and hand hygiene practice.

Multivitamins and vitamin C tablets are one of the most frequently discussed topics, especially during this pandemic crisis to strengthen immunity. Even most of us have already started dumping our medicine cabinets with dietary supplements. Also, individuals have started consuming foods like fruits, and veggies that are loaded with vitamin C to boost immunity. Let’s in this article, find out how vitamin C helps to strengthen the immune system, and the foods you need to incorporate into your daily diet to maintain vitamin C levels in the body. So, keep reading the post!

Importance of Vitamin C in the body:

The importance of vitamin C was studied many years ago. Vitamin C is one of the important co-factor required for blood vessel formation, collagen synthesis, protect the articular cartilage, muscles, tendon, increase bone density, fights joint inflammation, and so on. Here, we have compiled a few other amazing health benefits of including vitamin C in the diet which helps to strengthen the immune system. Let’s go through them below. Vitamin-C

  • Reduces endothelial dysfunction
  • Lowers the risk of heart diseases
  • Prevents stroke
  • Reduces the risk of developing diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease
  • Regular intake of vitamin C supplements or vitamin-C-rich foods decreases the risk of getting flu and cold. Pick your daily dose of dietary supplements from a huge variety of over-the-counter products from India’s best online drug store at the best price.
  • Regenerate antioxidants in the body
  • Protects us from age-related macular degeneration, which generally causes declining vision.
  • Aids in wound healing
  • Enhances iron absorption in the body
  • Beneficial to individuals who have weakened immune system due to severe stress.
  • Reduces your skin’s ageing process. Yes! It protects the body from free radical damage. Applying vitamin-C serum to the face helps to protect the skin from wrinkles, dryness, improves skin texture, and enhances the glow of the skin.
  • Reduces the risk of developing cartilage degradation, thereby protecting from osteoarthritis.
  • Halts autoimmune progression
  • Yes! It has pain-relieving properties. The high amount of antioxidants present in Vitamin-C helps to ease the pain that occurs due to arthritis, cancer, trauma, and neuralgia.
  • Helps in reducing uric acid levels in the body, thereby prevent gout attacks

How much vitamin-C is required per day?

Vitamin-C is an essential nutrient required for the normal growth of the body, care should be taken not to overdose it. Yes! Too much of adding vitamin-C in the diet than the daily recommended dosage might bring health consequences. Well! It may sometimes cause diarrhoea, vomiting, headache, abdominal cramps, insomnia, nausea, and heartburn. Also, too much vitamin-C may result in the storage of iron in the body; this may further damage our tissues.

The daily recommended dosage of vitamin-C according to the various stages of life is as follows:

Stage Recommended Amount

  • Birth to 6 months 40 mg
  • Infants 7–12 months 50 mg
  • Children 1–3 years 15 mg
  • Children 4–8 years 25 mg
  • Children 9–13 years 45 mg
  • Teens 14–18 years (boys) 75 mg
  • Teens 14–18 years (girls) 65 mg
  • Adults (men) 90 mg
  • Adults (women) 75 mg
  • Pregnant teens 80 mg
  • Pregnant women 85 mg
  • Breastfeeding teens 115 mg
  • Breastfeeding women 120 mg

If you are a smoker, add additional 35mg to the above-said levels to maintain your daily recommended dosage.

How to get the right amount of Vitamin-C in the diet?

Healthful eating is the key! Get vitamin-C from the citrus fruits and veggies like strawberries, gooseberry, guava, grapefruit, red pepper, lemon, papaya, green pepper, broccoli, tomatoes, kiwi, and from fortified foods and beverages with vitamin-C. Try having raw fruits and veggies as much as possible as cooking may result in the loss of vitamin-C nutrients. Also, individuals who have a vitamin-C deficiency may develop scurvy. The symptoms of scurvy include depression, anaemia, inflammation, fatigue, joint pain, poor wound healing, swollen gums, and loosening teeth. Scurvy may be fatal if left untreated.

When should you take vitamin-C supplements?

Most of us get vitamin-C from the dietary source, but individuals with the compromised immune system and with conditions like gastrointestinal disorders and cancer might be vulnerable to vitamin-C deficiency. In such situations, oral supplements may be required to strengthen the immune system. Order your oral vitamin-C supplements from the best online pharmacy store in India and avail amazing medicine discount on every product you choose.

Nature’s supreme rescue molecule “vitamin-C” is abundantly available everywhere around the globe. Yes! Almost every fruit and veggie is rich in vitamin-C. Try consuming the dietary sources in the raw form to get its maximum benefits. Also, inform your doctor if you are on oral supplements to avoid the risks of significant side-effects.

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About the Creator

Lakshmi Krishnanunni

I am a content writer for Zoylo Digihealth which is an online healthcare platform offering healthcare services under one umbrella. I hold M.sc., M.phil in Biochemistry. My expertise in writing medical, health & research-based articles.

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