Vitamin C

What is Vitamin C?

During the Age of Exploration, an estimated two million sailors died of the disease known as 'scurvy'. Eventually, largely thanks to the traditional medicine practised in the societies they encountered, they realised that the problem was linked to diet, and in particular to a lack of fresh citrus fruit. We now know that the missing nutrient was Vitamin C.

What does Vitamin C do?

Vitamin C has a huge range of roles in the body. Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system, to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin, blood vessels and bones, and to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

Many of these roles come down to collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body and provides structure to your skin. Your body needs Vitamin C to make collagen, in a step called hydroxylation. Copper is involved too, in a later step. As we age, our levels of collagen decline. The decline also speeds up during menopause, when oestrogen levels drop. Vitamin C is widely studied in skin research.

The collagen that Vitamin C helps produce is also part of the walls of our blood vessels. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of blood vessels, and researchers have looked at Vitamin C levels in the blood in relation to heart health. Vitamin C also contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of bones, cartilage, gums and teeth.

Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system. Your immune cells use it as a free-radical scavenger. Some immune cells release reactive chemicals to destroy bacteria and debris in the body, and Vitamin C contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Researchers have looked at how Vitamin C and Zinc work together in the immune system, and at the question 'should we supplement?'.

Vitamin C increases iron absorption. This is especially important for those who don't eat meat, because iron from plant foods is harder for the body to absorb.

Vitamin C is sensitive to heat, so cooking reduces the amount in our food. In winter, when we tend to eat fewer raw fruits and vegetables and more cooked meals, it's worth keeping plenty of Vitamin C-rich foods on the menu.

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