Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an essential, water-soluble nutrient found in vegetables, citrus fruits and leafy greens that has various antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and helps eliminate free radicals.Â
Its most important role is in cell defense, producing immune resistance, but it also has many other benefits such as heart disease, eye disease, collagen, bone and cartilage production, wound healing, brain health and anemia.
We’re going to talk about its main health effects, far beyond what is already known, as it produces effects on the body from the inside out:
Increased immunityÂ
Vitamin C helps prevent colds and infections by helping to produce and strengthen defense cells when in contact with a pathogen.Â
It also acts in the first defense mechanism, in the skin it creates barriers to eliminate microorganisms and eliminates free radicals.
Skin rejuvenation
Whether ingested or applied to the skin, vitamin C has many rejuvenating benefits. Above all, it improves the skin’s appearance and elasticity.
Together with sunscreen, it helps block UVA and UVB rays, which are carcinogenic to the skin.
It is very important in the production of collagen, which helps to firm the skin and reduce other damage caused by ageing.
Increased iron absorption
Vitamin C consumed in combination with iron helps to increase its absorption, reducing the chances of anemia in the body.
When iron is well absorbed, it increases the production of hemoglobin, a protein contained in red blood cells that transports oxygen to the lungs and also to the rest of the body.
Improves wound healing
By increasing collagen production, vitamin C consumption helps improve wound healing.Â
Epithelialization is the process by which new skin cells (epithelial cells) migrate across the wound surface to close and seal the wound. Vitamin C facilitates this process by supporting collagen synthesis and cellular turnover.
It also aids in the remodeling phase, where newly formed tissues are strengthened and organized into functional skin.
Helps prevent episodes of gout
For those who suffer recurrently from gout inflammation (an increase in uric acid in the joints), it can prevent outbreaks of the disease and lead to a better quality of life.
Improves brain healthÂ
Its antioxidant power helps to reduce the damage caused by brain aging and protect against diseases as chronic as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis, Alziermer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.
It can also be useful in reducing the symptoms and risk of mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and anxiety.
Helps with cancer
People who tend to consume more foods with vitamin C are less likely to have cancer develop in their bodies.
Its antioxidant power prevents oxidative stress in cells so that defective ones don’t multiply.
However, there is no evidence that supplementing with vitamin C can prevent or eliminate cancer.
Acts on cardiovascular diseases
Oxidative stress is directly related to the development of many cardiovascular diseases, for example, the accumulation of fat in the blood arteries which culminates in fatty plaques, narrowing the passage of the vessel, resulting in atherosclerosis.
It can also be beneficial in other heart diseases that generate oxidative stress, such as ischemia (reduced blood flow), hypertension (high blood pressure), cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease), cardiac hypertrophy (enlargement and thickening of the heart muscle) and congestive heart failure (impaired pumping capacity).
Even so, there is no proof that vitamin C itself can treat and prevent heart disease.
Eye healthÂ
Consuming vitamin C can help protect the eyes from UV rays. However, as the years go by, this amount may decrease in the body.
Vitamin C acts against oxidative damage, such as that found in cataracts (blurred vision).
Vitamin C and its benefits
Vitamin C’s antioxidant role has a general power to maintain various cells in the body with the potential for tissue regeneration, damage repair and cell strengthening.
Finally, consuming vitamin C has actions that prevent illnesses other than the flu and strengthen the immune system.