When you feel a cold coming on, you can resort to vitamin C supplements due to its health-boosting properties. “Vitamin C is an essential nutrient, which means we must get it from foods or supplements to meet our needs,” says Tamar Samuels, RDN, co-founder of New York City-based Culina Health.
The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements recommends that adults get 75 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C per day for women and 90 mg of vitamin C per day for men; Smokers should take an additional 35 mg per day, while pregnant and breastfeeding women should take 85 and 120 mg respectively.
RELATING TO: Am I Getting Enough Vitamin C?
According to the Mayo Clinic, most people get enough vitamin C through diet alone; It can be easily found in citrus fruits, peppers, tomatoes and berries, among other fruits and vegetables. While it’s best to get your vitamin C from food, you can opt for vitamin C supplements to fill gaps or take higher doses. “Most vitamin C supplements start with 100 to 500 mg per capsule, which is certainly higher than the vitamin C content found in vitamin C-rich foods,” says Samuels.
However, if your total intake from food and supplements exceeds 2,000 mg per day, according to the ODS, you may be at risk of consuming too much vitamin C. Also remember that it is always a good idea to tell your doctor or dietitian about any supplements you are taking or plan to take, as they may be dangerous or interact with other medications you are taking. It may be harmful, especially for people taking vitamin C supplements, statins, and certain types of cancer medications.
So what are the potential benefits of higher vitamin C levels? Here, discover five benefits of vitamin C supplements backed by research.
RELATING TO: Scientific Health Benefits of Vitamin C
1. Vitamin C Supplements May Help Reduce the Length and Severity of Disease
It’s unlikely that vitamin C can protect you from a cold, according to one review, but taking vitamin C supplements may help reduce the length and severity of your illness. Some of the studies the researchers reviewed, all of which included vitamin C supplements of more than 200 mg per day, found that vitamin C reduced the duration of colds. Although the results were somewhat variable, with some showing no benefit, the researchers concluded that vitamin C supplementation may still be beneficial because it is safe and inexpensive.
Vitamin C supplements may also help you recover from more serious illnesses. According to one meta-analysis, vitamin C supplements reduced the length of stay in intensive care by approximately 8 percent and shortened the duration of patients’ mechanical ventilation by 18.2 percent. Vitamin C doses of 1,000 to 3,000 mg were used in the studies.
2. Vitamin C Supplement Treats Scurvy
It may not be surprising that scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, is often treated with vitamin C supplements. According to the study, it is recommended to take 1,000 to 2,000 mg of vitamin C for the first two or three days of treatment, 500 mg per day for the next week, then 100 mg per day for up to three months.
“Most people treated for scurvy experience improvement in symptoms within 48 hours and complete recovery within 14 days,” says Kelly Springer, RD, founder and CEO of Kelly’s Choice, based in Skaneateles, New York.
RELATING TO: Foods High in Vitamin C and Why Are Nutrition So Critical?
3. Vitamin C Supplements Protect Various Aspects of the Heart
Vitamin C helps the heart in several ways. First, it may help with blood pressure management. According to one meta-analysis, vitamin C supplements (average dose 500 mg) helped people with high blood pressure lower systolic blood pressure by 4.85 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure by 1.67 mm Hg.
Other research has found that high vitamin C intake is associated with a lower risk of stroke, especially in those taking between 200 and 550 mg of vitamin C per day.
According to one review, vitamin C deficiency increased the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, possibly because vitamin C can improve blood vessel function and lipid profiles.
However, existing literature provides little support for the widespread use of vitamin C supplementation to reduce cardiovascular risk or mortality. Additionally, there isn’t enough research to show that vitamin C supplements can prevent cardiovascular disease or that a vitamin deficiency puts you at risk of dying from it.
4. C vitamin May Reduce the Risk of Gout
Gout, a painful type of inflammatory arthritis, is caused by having too much uric acid in the body, according to the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. Eating a healthy diet with limited alcohol intake may reduce the risk of gout, and vitamin C supplements may also help.
“Some studies have found that vitamin C may modestly reduce uric acid levels in people with gout,” says Samuels. According to one meta-analysis, vitamin C supplements (average dose was 500 mg) reduced serum uric acid by 0.35 mg per deciliter (mg/dL). According to one review, normal uric acid levels are 1.5 to 6 mg/dL in women and 2.5 to 7 mg/dL in men.
5. Vitamin C May Make Cancer Treatments More Effective
At this point, it would be wrong to say that vitamin C can prevent or cure cancer, but it may be a useful addition to cancer treatment. A 2021 review found that vitamin C intake was associated with better outcomes in those with breast cancer, including lower recurrence rates, cancer-specific mortality rates, and all-cause mortality rates.
Vitamin C can also enhance standard treatments, says Michelle Zive, PhD, RD, a nutrition coach based in San Diego. According to another 2021 review, vitamin C works with some chemotherapy and cancer drugs and increases their effects in those with pancreatic cancer.
However, it’s worth noting that most research on this topic involves taking vitamin C intravenously rather than orally, says Samuels. Anyone undergoing cancer treatment should consult their healthcare provider before taking vitamin C or any other supplement due to possible risks of interactions with cancer treatments.