Vitamin C
Vitamin C lacking syndrome
Are you suffering from vitamin C deficiencies? Though vitamin C is good for health and people often complain of diseases which actually are syndromes of lacking of vitamin C.
Vitamin C is found in vegetables and citrus fruits, protecting us against colds and viruses. Scurvy is the famous illness from lack of vitamin C, a disease which inflicted sailors during the exploring years. It is a popular supplement we add to our daily diet especially during the winter months; like any vitamin or mineral it is possible to over dose on Vitamin C.
The recommended daily allowance is 75 mg for women and 90 mg; people who smoke should increase their intake to 110 mg and 125 mg to counter act the nicotine effects. Eating a lot of fruit will not take you sufficiently over the limit to show any side affects; taking too many supplements over a period of time or too many in go can cause symptoms like stomach pain, diarrhea, an increased risk of kidney stones, changes the length of the menstrual cycle and many more.
Too much Vitamin C hinders the metabolic process and reduces the levels of copper in the body. It increases the Iron absorption rates, anyone with an Iron overload illness should avoid taking vitamin C. In contrast if high levels of copper are present, an increased level of vitamin C is beneficial; however copper levels should not drop too low as many medical problems arise from this deficiency, such as bone deformities in children.
How much vitamin C is too much depends on the individual person, everyone has a ratio to which vitamin C is absorbed and interacts with other elements; the higher the absorption rate, the lower the amount of vitamin C is needed. People taking supplements often take in excess of 250 mg per day and cases of 1000 mg per day have been noted.
There has been concern that people consuming 500 mg or more a day over a long period of time are at risk for DNA mutation called oxidative damage, although this is very rare and not conclusively proven.
Since vitamins are integral part of body growth and development lacking in any one of them would bring in harmful effects on our health. Vitamin C too is beneficial for health but it lacks in our body it may bring in dangerous consequence.