Vitamin C doesn’t just keep scurvy away. It’s true that vitamin C deficiency can cause this scourge of the high seas, but vitamin C’s benefits truly shine in the neurological department. Since this essential vitamin is an antioxidant, it protects your brain from oxidative stress, and it helps your other tissues fight back against free radicals too.
Vitamin C keeps atherosclerosis at bay, so you can enjoy that omelet worry-free as long as you take your daily “C.” We all know that this vitamin’s immune-boosting effects have been overhyped, but vitamin C does help you get over colds faster, and it may even help you get rid of those nasty toxic metals that build up in your organ tissues.
Vitamin C has immune-boosting effects that help you get over colds faster, and it may even help you get rid of those nasty toxic metals that build up in your organ tissues.
L-ascorbic acid is the chemical name for vitamin C. Scientists around the world have found that this substance has amazing neurological, cardiovascular, immunological, and other benefits.
The neurological benefits of vitamin C are profound and well-researched. This substance stimulates the production of a variety of enzymes involved in cognition. While the brain naturally produces these enzymes, it fails to produce them if you have a vitamin C deficiency.
As an antioxidant, vitamin C protects brain cells from the harmful effects of excessive stimulation. Oxidative stress leads to cell death, and vitamin C protects against oxidative stress in animal models.
Research has found that potassium channels play a role in depression. Vitamin C blocks potassium channels, which has antidepressive effects. A longitudinal study found that people who consumed adequate amounts of vitamin C were less likely to develop dementia. Since vitamin C is an antioxidant, it may also reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Like other antioxidants, vitamin C appears to improve blood flow. Vitamin C deficiency increases your risk of atherosclerosis, so supplementing with vitamin C reduces your risk of developing this condition.
While vitamin C doesn’t prevent you from getting sick, it does reduce the average duration of cold symptoms. Vitamin C may also be able to destroy certain types of harmful bacteria.
Vitamin C supplementation reduces bone loss in animal models. This vitamin also appears to help the body eliminate toxic metals like mercury, lead, and cadmium. Collagen is an important part of your cartilage, skin, and other tissues, and vitamin C supplementation increases collagen production.
Scientists have performed hundreds of studies to determine the benefits and effects of vitamin C. Here are some of the highlights:
