Vitamin C is an important nutrient for the body even it can act as the body’s immunity. So how much vitamin C should i take daily or we take every day? We will explain this in this article.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient and it has an important role in maintaining a healthy body.
Vitamin C plays a role in producing collagen which has an effect on wound healing. It also strengthens the body’s defense system and keeps cells from being damaged by free radicals. Vitamin C is also called popular with the name L-ascorbic acid, or ascorbic acid.
The human body cannot make vitamin C itself, so we must consume it from the outside, from foods. Unlike the case with other animals that can synthesize themselves.
So, we will discuss how much vitamin C should we take daily? Are we able to consume foods high in vitamin C as we like or in unlimited quantities.
Also see: Foods Has More Vitamin C Than An Orange
What is the Recommended Intake of Vitamin C
The level of nutrient intake for someone has its own level. That is, we must consume nutrients within a certain limit, not good if excessive or deficient. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has developed a high level of intake of certain nutrients, including vitamin C. So, a person to be able to meet his body’s nutrition is different from one another, especially between women and men.
Guidelines on nutrient intake is known as the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), there are specific guidelines for food or supplements consumed.
RDA gives a certain amount to someone, intake of vitamin C depends on the age and gender of a person. So, the nutritional value must meet 97-98% of healthy people.
Below are RDAs for vitamin C
| Life stage | RDA |
|---|---|
| Kids (1–3 years) | 15 mg |
| Kids (4–8 years) | 25 mg |
| Adolescents (9–13 years) | 45 mg |
| Teens (14–18 years) | 65–75 mg |
| Adult women (aged 19 and older) | 75 mg |
| Adult men (aged 19 and older) | 90 mg |
| Pregnant women (aged 19 and older) | 85 mg |
| Breastfeeding women (aged 19 and older) | 120 mg |
In addition to the RDA recommendations for nutritional intake, there are also recommendations and recommendations from the FDA for how much a person should take vitamin C daily. So, the daily value of these nutrients is developed to label food and determine how much nutrition is in one serving of food.
At present the recommended amount of vitamin C for adults and children over 4 years is 60 mg, this is not specific for certain sexes. But this number has now been increased, January 2020 the number will increase to 90 mg [healthline.com]
Vitamin C has certain benefits
The benefits of vitamin C are very important for the health and well-being of the human body. These nutrients sometimes provide certain benefits when needed or when the body is in certain conditions.
This is a vitamin whose main role is to enhance immune function. Immune function is very influential in diseases that occur. If you lack vitamin C (specifically), a person can easily experience a variety of bacterial or viral infections.
For example: someone who routinely consumes vitamin C, he can still get cough, but the severity will not be the same. Including the duration that occurs is also different.
Research related to the intake of vitamin C in 31 studies, mentioned that consuming 1-2 grams of vitamin every day can reduce the duration to 18% in children and 8% in adults.
The benefits of consuming vitamin C are not only that, vitamin C also helps and increases iron absorption. Taking vitamin C every day as much as 1-2 grams can reduce symptoms of the disease and can increase immunity. Disampin so can also prevent anemia because vitamin C will help the absorption of iron.
The Best Source of Vitamin C
The best source of vitamin C is in fruits and vegetables. In other foods there is also vitamin C, but the source of vitamin C is easily damaged by heat. So most foods are sometimes empty of nutritional value. To meet the daily needs of vitamin C, one can consume salad vegetables, or consume certain fruits.
For example: 1/2-cup (75-gram), a raw paprika serving can contain 158% of the RDA set by the IOM.
Below there is a table of vitamin C content and the amount of daily intake based on Daily Value (DV). These are just some of the best foods that serve as a source of vitamin C. The table below is still based on 60mg daily recommendations of vitamin C. However, this is still relevant, although now the DV recommendation is 90gm, because most of these foods provide vitamin C nutrition 20% higher than the recommended.
Below are great source of vitamin C include:
| Food | Amount per serving | %DV |
|---|---|---|
| Red pepper, 1/2 cup (75 grams) |
95 mg | 158% |
| Orange juice, 3/4 cup (177 ml) |
93 mg | 155% |
| Kiwifruit, 1/2 cup (90 grams) | 64 mg | 107% |
| Green pepper, 1/2 cup (75 grams) |
60 mg | 100% |
| Broccoli, cooked, 1/2 cup (78 grams) |
51 mg | 85% |
| Strawberries, fresh, 1/2 cup (72 grams) |
49 mg | 82% |
| Brussels sprouts, cooked, 1/2 cup (81 grams) |
48 mg | 80% |
Also look: Benefits of Eating Papaya leaves
Best vitamin C supplements
For those of you who take vitamin C supplements, there are some of the best forms, as said healthline.com.
- ascorbic acid
- mineral ascorbates, such as sodium ascorbate and calcium ascorbate
- ascorbic acid with bioflavonoids
Usually vitamin C supplements with ascorbic acid are the best choice. The reason is because it has a high level of biological availability. So, the body can absorb nutrients from this supplement easily.
To make sure you get a supplement with enough vitamin C, look for supplements that contain 45-120 mg, this depends on your age and gender.