Scientifically Speaking: ‘C’ to your Health
If you’re like me, when you hear someone mention “vitamin C,” your mind goes to two places: first, to that cheesy song that’s played at every high school graduation (Wait, was that just me?); and second, to your immune system.
That’s all the craze these days, right? Feeling sick, or worried about getting sick? No problem! Simply increase your vitamin C intake to fight the illness…or so they say.
Now let’s talk about the reality behind vitamin C. Sure, plenty of scientific evidence touts the benefits vitamin C provides to support your immune system, but that’s not the only purpose this micronutrient serves. Your body uses vitamin C in so many ways, and Scientifically Speaking is ready to discuss three of them.
Antioxidant Protection
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that many consider to be an important antioxidant. But before we move on, let’s give a quick rundown of what antioxidants are.
When present in our bodies, antioxidants selflessly sacrifice themselves to protect our cells by willingly giving up their own electrons to subdue excess amounts of free radicals that have been found to cause oxidative damage. And oxidative damage is bad, people. If this sort of stress continues, over time, it can begin a cascade of irreparable oxidative damage.
Maintaining proper levels of vitamin C can help ensure you’re maintaining a solid army of antioxidant defense.
Building Blocks
Vitamin C is also essential for collagen synthesis. Because of this, I refer to it as the “Master Builder.” (I like nicknames, okay. Don’t judge.)
Collagen is the most abundant structural protein in the body and is crucial for building and strengthening muscles, teeth, bones, skin, and blood vessels. Without adequate vitamin C, the body can struggle to make enough collagen. Under normal conditions, the recommended daily value of 75-90 mg per day meets the requirement for maintaining sufficient amounts of collagen.
Now, About that Immune System…
Back to what was mentioned before: the relationship between vitamin C levels and a healthy immune system.
There’s a lot of conflicting evidence out there, but when it comes down to it, vitamin C is widely accepted as an important nutrient for maintaining healthy immune function. It does this by stimulating both the production and function of leukocytes — a.k.a. white blood cells. You need to keep those white blood cells abundant if you want a strong immune system.
Once again, with the help of vitamin C, you’re building a solid wall of healthy defense. Sorry, I don’t have a clever nickname for this one. Just know that vitamin C is super cool, okay.
Where Can You Get It?
Maybe I should’ve mentioned this before, but did you know our bodies are incapable of manufacturing vitamin C? This means we rely solely on our diets to satisfy our daily requirement.
Foods such as oranges, berries, papaya, kiwi, peppers, tomatoes, peas, and dark green leafy vegetables all contain high amounts of vitamin C that can be absorbed by our bodies.
Oh, and don’t forget about USANA Nutritionals. From Proflavanol® C100 and Booster C 600™ to Procosa®, Visionex®, and even the essential Mega Antioxidant, we offer products that contain sufficient amounts of quality vitamin C to ensure your body’s vitamin C levels remain at a healthy level.
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Hopefully you’re convinced about the importance of vitamin C by now, because these are only a few examples of why the body relies so much on this nutrient — it serves a variety of functions.
And if you really aren’t convinced, I’ve got a special nickname for you as well. But this is a supposed to be a kind, helpful blog, which is why I’ll keep that one to myself!
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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Very Informative!!!!