The important vitamin you're probably lacking.
Minute For Your Health #29
A recent study found that 17% of Germans attending a nutrition and healthy eating seminar WERE DEFICIENT IN VITAMIN C.
I feel like I need to capitalise that because:
a) It seems like 99.9% of people know vitamin C is important and focus on eating it
and
b) These people were at a nutrition seminar - which makes you think they were interested nutrition and should not be deficient in such an important vitamin
and yet so many of them were.
In a Canadian study 33% of young adults were deficient in vitamin C. In another study 60% of people admitted to hospital were deficient in vitamin C.
So I’m guessing a few of us are too.
Today I’ll tell you why vitamin C matters and share my top tips for increasing your intake.
Why does vitamin C matter?
Vitamin C deficiency is not just about scurvy - the deficiency disease where your teeth fall out and your legs become crooked.
Low or sub-optimal levels of vitamin C impact your health in many ways.
Below I’ve listed just some of the amazing things vitamin C can do for us:
Vitamin C supports immune function
Vitamin C acts as an anti-histamine
Low levels of vitamin C can lead to increases in histamine in the blood, which can result in histamine intolerance
Vitamin C has anti-inflammatory actions
Vitamin C helps us better absorb iron
Vitamin C is important for allowing many of our enzymes to work or be produced
Vitamin C is involved in balanced hormone production
Vitamin C has the potential to (positively) impact our gene expression
Vitamin C can support regular bowel movements
Vitamin C is important for collagen formation, which contributes to smooth, elastic skin
As you can see - this vitamin is important.
Signs of vitamin C deficiency include:
Getting ill often
Fatigue
Irritability and low mood
Histamine reactions
Bleeding gums
How to naturally increase vitamin C:
Unfortunately, many of the vitamin C supplements I see people taking (like those orange flavoured fizzy tablets) are made from cheap, synthetic vitamin C - usually produced out of corn.
But vitamin C works in the context of the ‘packaging’ it comes in - that is the fibre, antioxidants and dozens of other substances we are only just learning about found in the fruits and vegetables that vitamin C is found in.
So I always encourage my clients to get their vitamin C from sources that are as natural as possible.
Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C:
Kiwi
Strawberries
Citrus fruits
Bell peppers
Broccoli
You can also consider a whole food supplement, made from a dried, powdered fruit that is particularly rich in vitamin C. My favourites include:
Amla powder (this has a bitter flavour, so is not for the faint hearted)
I’ve linked to some of my favourite products. Remember, when you work one to one with me you receive a discount on all supplements you purchase.
You should also never start taking a new supplement without working with a practitioner or checking with your GP that it is safe for you to do so.
I recommend consuming these powders mixed into musli, yoghurt, smoothies or cold herbal tea.
Summary:
Even though most of us know vitamin C is important, there is a big chance we are not getting enough. This can have a negative impact on our health. Choose fresh fruit and vegetables or powdered fruits high in vitamin C to make sure you are getting enough.
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Links and References:
Rowe, S. and Carr, A.C. (2020). Global Vitamin C Status and Prevalence of Deficiency: A Cause for Concern? Nutrients, [online] 12(7), p.2008. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/2008/htm [Accessed 16 Feb. 2021].
Hagel, A.F., Albrecht, H., Dauth, W., Hagel, W., Vitali, F., Ganzleben, I., Schultis, H.W., Konturek, P.C., Stein, J., Neurath, M.F. and Raithel, M. (2017). Plasma concentrations of ascorbic acid in a cross section of the German population. Journal of International Medical Research, [online] 46(1), pp.168–174. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0300060517714387 [Accessed 16 Feb. 2021].
Runye Gan, Eintracht, S. and Leonard John Hoffer (2008). Vitamin C Deficiency in a University Teaching Hospital. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23302990_Vitamin_C_Deficiency_in_a_University_Teaching_Hospital [Accessed 16 Feb. 2021].
ZentrumDerGesundheit (2017). Zentrum der Gesundheit. [online] Zentrum der Gesundheit. Available at: https://www.zentrum-der-gesundheit.de/artikel/vitamine/vitaminmangel [Accessed 16 Feb. 2021].
Cahill, L., Corey, P.N. and El-Sohemy, A. (2009). Vitamin C Deficiency in a Population of Young Canadian Adults. American Journal of Epidemiology, [online] 170(4), pp.464–471. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/170/4/464/89509?login=true [Accessed 16 Feb. 2021].
Nih.gov. (2017). Office of Dietary Supplements - Vitamin C. [online] Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/ [Accessed 16 Feb. 2021].
Carr, A. and Vissers, M. (2013). Synthetic or Food-Derived Vitamin C—Are They Equally Bioavailable? Nutrients, [online] 5(11), pp.4284–4304. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/5/11/4284 [Accessed 16 Feb. 2021].
Carr, A., Bozonet, S. and Vissers, M. (2013). A Randomised Cross-Over Pharmacokinetic Bioavailability Study of Synthetic versus Kiwifruit-Derived Vitamin C. Nutrients, [online] 5(11), pp.4451–4461. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/5/11/4451 [Accessed 16 Feb. 2021].
Journal of the American College of Nutrition. (2013). Vitamin C as an Antioxidant: Evaluation of Its Role in Disease Prevention. [online] Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.2003.10719272 [Accessed 16 Feb. 2021].
Cytoplan, “The Health Information Series: Metabolic Syndrome,” Worcestershire, 2016.
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