Vitamin C

Other names : Acide Ascorbique, Acide Cévitamique, Acide Iso-Ascorbique, Acide L-Ascorbique, Acido Ascorbico, Antiscorbutic Vitamin, Ascorbate, Ascorbate de Calcium, Ascorbate de Sodium, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Calcium Ascorbate, Cevitamic Acid, Iso-Ascorbic Acid, L-Ascorbic Acid, Magnesium Ascorbate, Palmitate d'Ascorbyl, Selenium Ascorbate, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamina C, Vitamine Antiscorbutique, Vitamine C.

Special Precautions of Vitamin C

too high a doses of vitamin C can cause the following complaints.

• diarrhea
• nausea
• vomit
• gastric acid
• stomach cramps
• abdominal cramps
• headache
• insomnia (and therefore sleep deprivation)
• Gastrointestinal complaints : An overdose of vitamin C often affects the digestive tract. If you use more than 2,000 mg of vitamin C (daily), you can suffer from your gastrointestinal tract and diarrhea. Persistent diarrhea or vomiting can lead to dehydration, excessive thirst, fatigue, low urine output (little urination), concentrated urine (dark urine), and decreased blood pressure. Diarrhea and vomiting can also lead to the loss of important minerals and electrolytes.
• Kidney stones : Vitamin C is broken down by the body into oxalate, an important component of the most common form of kidney stones. This substance is normally excreted in the urine, but high levels of oxalate in the urinary system can cause the formation of deposits, also known as kidney stones. High intake of vitamin C is associated with an increased risk of oxalate kidney stones, the most common type of kidney stones.
• Hemochromatosis : Hemochromatosis or iron storage disease is a condition caused by excessive iron accumulation in the body. This hereditary condition usually affects the liver, heart and pancreas. Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron. Although vitamin C overdose does not cause hemochromatosis, it can make the condition worse.

The benefits of Vitamin C are

• Historically, vitamin C was used for preventing and treating scurvy. Scurvy is now relatively rare, but it was once common among sailors, pirates, and others who spent long periods of time onboard ships. When the voyages lasted longer than the supply of fruits and vegetables, the sailors began to suffer from vitamin C deficiency, which led to scurvy.
• These days, vitamin C is used most often for preventing and treating the common cold. Some people use it for other infections including gum disease, acne and other skin infections, bronchitis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease, stomach ulcers caused by bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, tuberculosis, dysentery (an infection of the lower intestine), and skin infections that produce boils (furunculosis). It is also used for infections of the bladder and prostate .
• Some people use vitamin C for depression, thinking problems, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, physical and mental stress, fatigue, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Other uses include increasing the absorption of iron from foods and correcting a protein imbalance in certain newborns (tyrosinemia).
• There is some thought that vitamin C might help the heart and blood vessels. It is used for hardening of the arteries, preventing clots in veins and arteries, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
• Vitamin C is also used for glaucoma, preventing cataracts, preventing gallbladder disease, dental cavities (caries), constipation, Lyme disease, boosting the immune system, heat stroke, hay fever, asthma, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis , infertility, diabetes , chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), autism, collagen disorders, arthritis and bursitis, back pain and disc swelling, cancer, and osteoporosis.
• Additional uses include improving physical endurance and slowing aging, as well as counteracting the side effects of cortisone and related drugs, and aiding drug withdrawal in addiction.
• Sometimes, people put vitamin C on their skin to protect it against the sun, pollutants, and other environmental hazards. Vitamin C is also applied to the skin to help with damage from radiation therapy.
• Vitamin C supplementation lowers blood pressure to help prevent stroke and heart disease.
• Reducing the risk of gallbladder disease. There is some evidence that taking vitamin C might help to prevent gallbladder disease in women. But vitamin C doesn’t seem to have this effect in men.
• Slowing the worsening of osteoarthritis. Obtaining vitamin C from dietary sources seems to prevent cartilage loss and worsening of symptoms in people with osteoarthritis.
• Treating an eye disease called AMD (age-related macular degeneration) when used with other medicines. Taking vitamin C in combination with zinc, vitamin E, and beta-carotene daily seems to help prevent vision loss or slow worsening of AMD in patients with advanced AMD. There isn't enough evidence to know if this combination helps people with less advanced macular disease or prevents AMD. Using vitamin C with other antioxidants, but without zinc, doesn't seem to have any effect on AMD.
• Decreasing protein in the urine of people with type 2 diabetes (albuminuria). This might help to lower the risk of developing serious kidney disease.
• Redness (erythema) after cosmetic skin procedures. There is some evidence that a particular vitamin C skin cream can decrease the amount of redness and the time it lasts following laser resurfacing for scar and wrinkle removal.
• Decreasing lung infections caused by heavy exercise. Using vitamin C in amounts of 600 mg to 1 gram per day before heavy physical exercise, such as a marathon, might prevent upper respiratory infections that sometimes follow heavy exercise.
• Treating ulcers in the stomach caused by bacteria called H. pylori. Taking vitamin C seems to decrease some of the side effects caused by treatment. After H. pylori bacteria are killed, vitamin C appears to decrease the occurrence of precancerous changes in stomach tissue.
• Helping medicines used for chest pain, such as nitroglycerin, to work longer.
• Reducing the risk in women of a circulatory system disorder called peripheral arterial disease.
• Preventing “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis).
• Preventing kidney problems related to contrast media used during a diagnostic test called angiography.
• Reducing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission by mothers to their newborns when taken with vitamins B and E.
• Reducing complications after a broken wrist called complex regional pain syndrome, or reflex sympathetic dystrophy.
• Reducing lead in the blood by eating foods high in vitamin C.
• Reducing complications of a high-risk pregnancy (pre-eclampsia).
• Improving physical performance and strength in the elderly.