Vitamin C has benefits for immunity, skin health, blood pressure, and much more (1). We can’t produce our own vitamin C, so we have to get it through our diet. And as much as our bodies need it, we don’t store excess vitamin C very well, so we have to make sure we regularly keep up our supply.

Vitamin C is available in many kinds of foods and it’s particularly common in citrus fruits and green vegetables. Vitamin C can be used by our body to support a healthy immune system and possibly improve heart health by lowering “bad” cholesterol.

Keeps your immune system ready to fight familiar and foreign threats

Vitamin C is highly concentrated in immune cells in the body. Our body has two types of immune cells. Innate immune cells are for recognizing threats to our health and fighting them immediately. While adaptive immune cells “remember” how to fight off specific viruses and other health threats we have experienced before. Vitamin C is used by both the innate and adaptive immune system, so maintaining vitamin C levels could help your immunity (2).

Helps replenish antioxidants that keep us healthy

You’ve probably heard of antioxidants before, but do you know why they’re good for you? As our body carries out everyday functions like digesting food or building cells, waste products are produced called free radicals. This waste can damage healthy cells or lead to disease when there are too many. Antioxidants protect our body from problems caused by free radicals and Vitamin C is a very powerful antioxidant (4).

Is it safe? 

Vitamin C is found in many fruits and vegetables in our diet and is generally considered safe.

In high doses, it can cause an upset stomach, diarrhea, and in some cases, kidney stones. 

Disclaimer: It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before you take any type of supplement. And if you experience any negative side effects when you are taking one, contact a healthcare expert immediately.

How big is the dose?

The recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C is 75 milligrams (mg) for women per day and 90 mg per day for men to maintain good health (5).

In our supplement, we include 100 mg of vitamin C. This is 110 percent of your daily dose. This is the amount that is found in approximately 1.5 oranges.

Because vitamin C is pretty common in many people’s diets, we decided to stick close to the recommended guidelines when adding it to Future Proof.

References

1. Vitamin C and Immune Function - Retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information 
2. Vitamin C and Immune Function - Retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information 
3. Vitamin C in Disease Prevention and Cure: An Overview - Retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information 
4. Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health - Retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information
5. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids - Retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information