When you think of the wellness benefits of vitamin C, your imagination probably stretches as far as scurvy, and the common cold. As the former really isn’t so much of a problem in modern day Britain, and the latter probably isn’t going to properly threaten your wellbeing, this makes vitamin C rather, well, insignificant, doesn’t it? However, this is an unfair judgement to pass on vitamin C, as scientists have taken a fresh look at the nutrient, and deemed it a vital vitamin for your anti-ageing wellness, as well as helping you stay healthy. Here’s why:
1. C away those wrinkles: There’s not a beauty product around that doesn’t have an ingredient list filled to the brim with antioxidants. The reason for this is that antioxidants (including vitamin C) can help you to turn back the clock on your wrinkles. According to an October 2007 study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, if you eat vitamin C-rich foods, you’re less likely to have wrinkles and age-related dry skin than those whose diets contain only small amounts of the vitamin. Patricia Farris, MD, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Tulane University in New Orleans, explains, ‘Vitamin C does some repair and firming on the skin.’
2. C that heart protected: While the wellness debate continues over the true effectiveness of vitamin C in preventing heart disease, the evidence on the “pro” side is pretty convincing. A Finnish study found that taking more than 700mg of C supplements daily reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease by 25%, while Harvard University researchers found that women who take 500mg of vitamin C combined with 600IU of other antioxidant vitamin E can cut their risk of stroke by 30%.
3. C off the Big C: A diet full of vitamin C–rich fruits and vegetables may lower your risks of bladder, oesophagus, stomach, and lung cancers. Again, we need more research in this area to find out an exact cause-and-effect, but the association between vitamin C and cancer prevention – and even cancer treatment – is strong. Mark Levine, MD, chief of the molecular and clinical nutrition section and senior staff physician at the National Institutes of Health, advises, ‘Strive for five or more fruits and vegetables daily, in a rainbow of colours; its where the most benefit is.’
4. C your brain power boosted: Again, pairing up vitamins C and E (at 500mg and 400IU, respectively) is beneficial to your health, this time because it may lessen your risk of Alzheimer’s by 64%, research in the Archives of Neurology has shown. Study author Peter Zandi, PhD, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, notes, ‘Some studies suggest that vitamin E does its job reducing free radicals in the body, but then its capacity is depleted. Vitamin C may recharge E.’
5. C more: Not only can vitamin C delay your need for reading glasses as you age, it can also help prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which is one of the leading causes of blindness. The National Eye Institute recently sponsored a clinical trial which showed that a daily supplement of 500mg vitamin C, 400IU vitamin E, 15mg beta-carotene, 80mg zinc, and 2mg copper reduced moderate or severe AMD by up to 25%.
6. C yourself into old age: You may have heard that green tea boosts your body’s defences against toxins, preventing cancer, heart attack, stroke, and lots of other maladies, but citrus juices (such as lemon, lime, orange) may supercharge the immunity-boosting power of green tea. A study led by Mario G. Ferruzzi, PhD, assistant professor in Purdue University’s department of food and nutrition, found that mixing citrus juice with green tea enabled 80% of the tea’s anti-oxidants to stick around after simulated digestion.
