Daily vitamin C is important to overall good health, particularly the strengthening of our immune systems and the condition of our skin.

Most animals can produce their own vitamin C each day but for some reason humans, apes and guinea pigs have lost this ability and we have to get our vitamin C from the food we eat or the vitamin supplements that we take.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant like vitamin E and beta-carotene and these help protect us against the damage caused by free radicals which occur naturally as our bodies change food into energy. Free radicals contribute to the aging process as they build-up and are thought to cause cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. When we get enough daily vitamin C it helps detoxify our bodies and allows us to deal with our stressful, busy lives. It also helps build the good bacteria in our stomachs, destroys bad bacteria and viruses, neutralizes toxic free radicals, removes heavy metals and protects us from cigarette smoke and other pollution.

Daily vitamin C assists the growth and repair of tissues and cells throughout your body and helps the body make collagen which is important to make skin, tendons, cartilage, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is also essential for the healing of wounds and for repairing and maintaining bones and teeth.

As we cannot store vitamin C it is important to get enough from our diet by eating fruit and vegetables each day. The best sources of daily vitamin C seem to be oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, kiwi, mango, watermelon, papaya, broccoli, tomatoes, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, and citrus juices. Raw and cooked leafy greens (such as spinach), red and green capsicum and tomatoes are also good sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C is sensitive to light, air and heat which means that it is best to eat the fruits and vegetables raw or lightly cooked so that they maintain their nutrients.

Many people have vitamin C deficiencies because we tend to eat far too little fruit and vegetables and the signs include gum disease, dry and splitting hair, dry skin, bruising, nosebleeds and slow healing wounds. Low levels of vitamin C can also contribute to high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, stroke, and cancer. Most animals make approximately 30 mg of vitamin C per kg of body weight. That works out to be about 2 grams (2000mg) of vitamin C for a 150 pound person. Also, when animals are under stress, injured, or sick, they make up to ten times more vitamin C than their normal daily requirements as they automatically know that this will help them recover.

According to U.S. recommended dietary allowances the daily intake of dietary vitamin C is listed below.

Children/Adolescents • Birth - 6 months: 40 mg • Infants 6 - 12 months: 50 mg • Children 1 - 3 years: 15 mg • Children 4 - 8 years: 25 mg • Children 9 - 13 years: 45 mg

• Adolescent girls 14 - 18 years: 65 mg • Adolescent boys 14 - 18 years: 75 mg

Adult • Men over 18 years: 90 mg • Women over 18 years: 75 mg • Breastfeeding women: 120 mg

You will see that these amounts are far less that the recommended daily allowances of vitamin C for humans. It seems that primates and guinea pigs consume 20 to 80 times the human daily suggested amount of vitamin C. Large apes, our closest living relatives, require anywhere from 2-6 grams (2,000 - 6,000 mg) of Vitamin C per day under normal healthy conditions whereas the recommended daily amount for a man is only 90mg. It would seem that we may be getting far too little vitamin C each day to experience the health benefits associated with vitamin C.

It may be worthwhile speaking with your Dr about the benefits (and risks) of increasing your daily vitamin C intake.