Vitamin C
(Ascorbic Acid)

Vitamin C is an essential and critical vitamin for your body. Although research studies seem to show conflicting results, one fact seems to be consistent across practically all research studies: Deficiency in this essential vitamin seems to cause many health problems and diseases.

Table of Contents

Evidence of Benefits (Leaf Rating System)

	Cancer Prevention in General It is well known through population studies that low levels of vitamin C increases the risk of prostate, stomach, colon, mouth and lung cancer. However, it is less clear whether taking large (mega dose) of vitamin C could prevent cancer. There is disagreement among experts on the use of this essential vitamin. In lab studies, this vitamin is shown to be absorbed much more rapidly by cancerous cells, causing them to stop growing and to be killed.
	Atherosclerosis (Hardening of the Arteries) Studies done to see if this vitamin can slow down atherosclerosis produced mixed results. Some studies show that this vitamin can slow down the atherosclerotic process. Experts believe the benefits of using this vitamin might depend on the gender (man versus female), severity of the atherosclerosis, whether the person is initially deficient in this vitamin and perhaps several other factors.
	Gallstone, Gallbladder Disease and Gout Prevention Clinical studies done in women show that taking this vitamin lowers the risk of developing of gallstone and gallbladder disease by 34%.
	Common Cold Treatment / Influenza (flu) Treatment The use of Vitamin C for treating the common cold is highly controversial, despite extensive clinical research in this area. In several studies, taking high doses of this vitamin does seem to shorten the duration of the cold by up to one and a half days. Extensive research studies conducted still showed mixed results. Some studies report benefits and other show it doesn't make a difference.
	Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction / MI) Studies show that those who are low in this vitamin have a higher risk of getting a heart attack. One study showed that combining vitamin C with arginine helped to reduce the symptoms of angina (chest pain). Note: The benefit only seems to apply when you are deficient in this vitamin.
	Immune System Enhancement Studies have shown that vitamin C enhances the function of the immune system. This vitamin boosts the white blood cell count to better fight off infections. People with low levels of this vitamin seem to be more likely to get infections.
	High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) This vitamin is shown to lower blood pressure by enhancing the production of nitric oxide (which causes blood vessels to dilate).
	Skin Aging and Wrinkles This vitamin is essential for collagen production. Collagen is a type of protein that is needed for skin, ligament, cartilage and cornea production and health. Using a cream formulation containing 3% to 10% of this vitamin reduces the appearance of wrinkles in as little as 12 weeks.
	Wound healing (in burn patients) A recent small (15 children) well-designed clinical studies done in children shows that taking this vitamin along with vitamin E and zinc helps wound heal significantly faster. Other studies also showed similar benefits for other types of skin problems. Experts believed that a combination of antioxidant vitamins and mineral offered protection against oxidative stress and thus speed up the healing of the skin. The dosage used was (simply) double of the recommended daily intake for the three ingredients. It did not require mega dose levels to show this promising result.
	Prostate Cancer Experts  believe that antioxidants play a significant role in preventing cancers such as prostate cancer. Antioxidants prevent damage to DNA in cells that leads to the development of cancer. As well, there are studies that show a diet low in vitamin C increases the risk of death from cancer in men (but not women).
	Cataracts Low levels of this vitamin seem to be linked to an increased risk of developing cataracts. However, high doses of this vitamin seem to increase cataract risks in animal studies. Click here to read the latest study showing the dangers of mega-dose therapy of this vitamin.
	Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Several studies show that taking 500 mg of this vitamin along with zinc (80 mg), beta-carotene (15 mg) and vitamin E (400 IU) reduces the risk of vision loss and appears to slow down the disease.
	DNA Damage Prevention Cancer can result when our genetic material (DNA) is damaged by oxidation. Thus, it is solid reason why taking this critical vitamin may be able to treat and prevent cancer. A well designed clinical studies done with 40 patients show that the antioxidant properties of this essential vitamin was able to prevent DNA damage in a type of human white blood cells (lymphocytes) responsible for attacking and destroying germs found in our body.   The volunteers in this study drank grape juice amounting to 2.5 mL (1/2 teaspoon) for each pound of body weight each day. That's 250 mL or about a cup for every 100 lbs of body weight daily. This study shows that you don't need mega dose of this vitamin to see benefits.
	Infertility / Increase or Enhance Fertility This vitamin can help in both men and women suffering from infertility issues. One clinical study showed that it helped to increase fertility in women suffering from luteal phase defect.
	Asthma and Allergies (Hay Fever) Several studies have shown that a low level of this vitamin is linked to asthma and poor lung function. There are also studies to show that taking vitamin C supplements reduced asthma symptoms. We will need to see well-designed studies to verify this benefit as there also studies that show that taking this vitamin did not help.
	Autism One study lasting 10 weeks showed that children taking 1 gram of vitamin C per 20 pounds of body weight has less autistic symptoms compared to placebo.
	Stress Animal studies seem to show that this essential vitamin can lower levels of stress hormones in the blood.
	Miscarriage Prevention One small clinical studies done at the University of Antioquia (2009) showed that men with high levels of DNA damage or excessive oxidative stress benefited from taking antioxidants like vitamin C. The researchers concluded that men taking foods rich in antioxidants could help with decreasing miscarriage incidences by maintaining the quality of the DNA in the sperm.
	Osteoarthritis (OA) This vitamin is shown to prevent or at least slow down the degeneration of the cartilage for those suffering from osteoarthritis. This vitamin is required for proper health of the cartilage and its antioxidant benefit also protects against damage caused by oxidative stress.
	Pre-eclampsia (High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy) Vitamin E (400 IU daily) combined with vitamin C (1,000 mg daily) seems to help prevent pre-eclampsia in certain groups of pregnant women. A review of research data from the Cochrane Database System shows that taking vitamin supplements did not reduce the risk of miscarriage although it did bring down the risk of pre-eclampsia and increased the likelihood of having multiple births.
	Bladder Infection During Pregnancy Taking this vitamin seems to reduce the risk of getting bladder infection in pregnant females.
	Sun-damaged (UV) skin / Sunburn It seems that taking this vitamin along with vitamin E can help prevent sunburns and act as a sunscreen. Applying a cream formulation containing this vitamin, vitamin E and melatonin seems to offer a small amount of UV protection. However, without additional sunscreen ingredients, these formulations do not offer much protection as a typical sunscreen.
	Cold Sores (Herpes Labialis) In lab studies, vitamin C was able to inactivate the cold sores virus. In one study, volunteers taking vitamin C with flavonoids cut the length of the symptoms by 57%.
	Dementia / Alzheimer's Disease Taking this vitamin doesn't seem to prevent getting dementia or Alzheimer's disease. However, some population studies do seem to show that it may help prevent these two conditions if this vitamin is taken for longer period of time at higher doses.
Helpful	Heart Disease Vitamin C may be helpful in people with heart disease in many ways even though it doesn't lower high cholesterol. Being an antioxidant, it may play a role in preventing heart disease. A recent study showed that this vitamin thickens the blood vessel wall which may reduce blood flow. This study seem to suggest not taking too much of this vitamin for those suffering from heart disease. More studies will be needed to verify this initial finding. Note: The benefits of taking this vitamin do apply if you are deficient. Because a study showed that vitamin C appears to thicken blood vessel, avoid "mega doses" of this vitamin if you suffer from heart disease.
Helpful	Type 2 Diabetes (Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus) Although taking this vitamin doesn't lower blood sugar levels, it does help to stabilize blood sugar levels and metabolism.
	Common Cold Prevention - Probably not effective Extensive clinical studies have shown that taking vitamin C on a daily basis didn't reduce the risk of getting the common cold. However, taking high dose of this vitamin seems to shorten the duration of the cold symptoms modestly.
	Stroke Prevention - Probably not effective There are conflicting results on proving whether taking higher doses of this essential vitamin could prevent stroke. Indeed, population studies do show that if you are low in vitamin C, taking supplements may reduce the risk of stroke. However, taking this vitamin when you are not deficient doesn't offer any additional protection.
	Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - Probably not effective This essential vitamin is needed to help build neurotransmitters (such as serotonin, adrenaline and dopamine) for the brain to work properly. It is speculated that too little vitamin C could be responsible for causing ADHD. However, clinical studies show that taking high doses of this vitamin did not help treat ADHD.

Suggested Benefits and Traditional Uses

Facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is vitamin C?

How do I know if I have a deficiency in vitamin C?

What are some foods sources high in vitamin C? Which is the best?

What drugs could lower the levels of vitamin C in our body?

Why are research studies showing conflicting results?

Side Effects, Toxicity and Warnings

What are some side effects of taking vitamin C?

What are some toxicity if I take too much or overdose on vitamin C?

What if I have kidney stones or suffer from kidney disease?

What are some known risk of taking too much of this vitamin?

Dosage & How to Take It

Mega Doses Commonly Used

Use the search box below to quickly find what you are looking for!

Home | What's New! | A-Z Herbs | A-Z Ailments | FAQ's | Sitemap | Privacy