Sailors’ Seas to C
By the 1700s, sailors knew that lemons prevented scurvy, but they didn’t know why. Vitamin C was first isolated in the 1930s. In 1970, Nobel-prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling wrote the book Vitamin C, the Common Cold. This book spread the use of vitamin C for colds. He also suggested that vitamin C might help prevent cancer, but more on that later.
Humans Are Vitamin C Recyclers
Vitamin C is also called ‘ascorbic acid, which refers to its anti-scurvy properties. Humans are one of the few animals that can’t make their own vitamin C. We need to eat it. But there is a recycling process in humans that drastically reduces the vitamin C we need compared to most animals. A 150-pound person needs less than 150 mg of vitamin C. A goat that weighs 150 lb would need 30,000 mg of vitamin C!
Radical Damage Control
Vitamin C is the vitamin that humans use the most of. We need lots of it to keep damaging molecules called free radicals under control. Free radicals are particles that include oxygen that latch onto our healthy cells. While oxygen is necessary for life, it is also damaging. Rust on steel is an example of oxygen damage.
Anti-Oxygen is Anti-Aging
A similar type of damage happens in our cells if these oxygen molecules are left unchecked. They damage proteins and fat structures, as well as our DNA, the master blueprint for our cells. They also spur inflammation at the micro level. Some people believe that damage from these free radicals is the cause of aging. Vitamin C is an anti-oxygen fighter, often called an antioxidant.
Reverse Sun Damage
Vitamin C is the most common antioxidant in the skin. It helps repair the damage caused by UV rays from the sun. The sun accelerates the aging of the skin (use sunscreen). If you are in the sun a lot, your skin uses more Vitamin C. A Vitamin C serum applied to the skin reduces sunburn by 50%. A 10%-15% serum can make your skin look younger as well as limit sun damage.
Vitamin C to Be Elastic
Vitamin C also promotes the production of connective tissues like collagen, which helps keep skin healthy and elastic. Collagen is in your skin and all your joints.
Sour Preserves
The ‘anti-aging’ ability of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) makes it a preservative. Cut apples sprinkled with lemon juice won’t ‘rust’ as fast because the Vitamin C in the lemons protects them. (It also gives them a bit of a tart taste).
Check the Common Cold
The clean-up of damaging free radicals (the antioxidant effect) seems to offer immune system benefits. When we have an infection, free radicals multiply, causing inflammation in our airways. Taking vitamin C daily shortens colds. This is especially true when we are tired and overworked, when infections are more likely.
Long-Term Benefits of Anti-Aging
There is even some research that suggests vitamin C reduces the risk of cancer. Eating fruits and veggies is linked with lower cancer rates, and vitamin C could be one reason. It tends to limit the formation of cancer-causing molecules by controlling free radicals. Lower vitamin C levels are linked to a higher risk of cancer, but why is not clear. The clean-up of the harmful particles may also benefit the heart. And, as an added bonus, vitamin C seems to improve mood.
Fresh Fruits and Veggies for C
Vitamin C is found in fresh fruits and vegetables. Red and green peppers are the best sources of vitamin C, beating even oranges and grapefruits. Strawberries are also a great source. Some other ways to get vitamin C are sweet potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, snow peas, and kale.
Rinsing Away Vitamins
Cooking affects the amount of vitamin C. Both light and heat degrade it. Cooking in water removes the most. The best cooking methods to preserve vitamin C are steaming and microwaving.
Super C’d
A daily 500 mg vitamin C tablet is also a good idea. You can take doses of 5,000 mg for a few days in the middle of an infection, but long-term use of high doses might carry a kidney stone risk. For high doses to be absorbed, they must be taken in small doses throughout the day or with a sustained-release tablet. A single dose of 12,000 mg will result in less than 2,000 mg being absorbed. (A large dose may also give you diarrhea.)
Flush the Excess
If you do take extra vitamin C, your body will get rid of the excess within 48 hours. If the acidity of vitamin C bothers your stomach, you can try a vitamin C fizzy tab, similar to Alka Seltzer. Although vitamin C might actually protect against ulcers.
Set Sail with C
Given its low cost and potential benefits, a daily vitamin C tablet is cheap insurance. Who doesn’t want to slow down the aging process? Stock vitamin C on your ship for smooth sailing.
