What Does Vitamin C Do?

October 24, 2019

Vitamin C is critical for immune function; it’s critical for what’s called antioxidant activity and it’s critical for enzyme function.

Hi, Dr. Jim here talking about vitamin C. Boy, this is a kicker! What an important vitamin. Vitamin C is critical for immune function; it’s critical for what’s called antioxidant activity and it’s critical for enzyme function and the biochemical reactions that take place inside cells to keep them functioning with precision and effectiveness.

So, what’s this antioxidant stuff? Environmental pollutants and toxins actually coat our cell walls with substances that scientists have named free radicals.  Vitamin C actually scrubs the cell wall of these free radicals, pollutants and toxins and creates an environment in which cells are more effective to carry out their intended functions.

Persons deficient in vitamin C are prone to infections, they are prone to cancer, they’re prone to cardiovascular disease and they are prone to metabolic dysfunction due free-radical accumulation from environmental pollutants and toxins.

Foods rich in vitamin C include kiwi, lemons, broccoli, grapefruits, potatoes and oranges.

The recommended daily allowance of vitamin C is 75 to 100 mg per day. Supplements may contain as much a thousand milligrams, but  you don’t need to worry about vitamin C as a toxin, because the upper tolerable limit is as much is 2000 mg a day.

This is Dr. Jim for Be Healthy! Be Happy! Power your path to happiness. Subscribe to Be Healthy! Be Happy! with Dr. Jim on YouTube. And catch me next time on Be Healthy! Be Happy! when I talk about vitamin D!

Reference: Oregon State University Linus Pauling Micronutrient Institute. Available at: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-C Accessed October 22, 2019.