Vitamin C is healthy and you need it as a human being. The recommended daily amount depends on your age. But you can also take too much of it. In that case, could it be dangerous or harmful? Not an unimportant question when you are trying to eat healthy or when you want to recover quickly from a cold or flu and are a little too generous with taking vitamin pills or drinking drinks with a lot of ascorbic acid.
Vitamin C
- Vitamin C or ascorbic acid: what is it?
- Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C
- How much vitamin C do you need?
- Is it dangerous to take too much vitamin C?
- Vitamin pill with too much vitamin C?
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid: what is it?
Of all types of vitamins, vitamin C is the best known. Another name for this is ascorbic acid , but that is of course less tasty. The function of this vitamin and antioxidant is threefold:
- Forming connective tissue
- Ensure the absorption of iron in the body
- Maintaining resistance
If you consume too little vitamin C, this can lead to reduced resistance. You will notice that if you have a wound somewhere it will heal less easily and you can also see it in your stool. If you have a vitamin deficiency, you may have difficulty going to the toilet and your stools may become hard. In the most serious case you can get scurvy, but this is becoming less common.
Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C
Vitamin C occurs naturally in vegetables and fruit , but also in potatoes . As far as vegetables are concerned, you will mainly find it in types of cabbage. In fruits, it is present in the greatest amount in citrus fruits, kiwis, strawberries and various types of berries. There is a danger of reducing the vitamin content of vegetables by using a lot of water when cooking or by keeping it boiling for too long.Ascorbic acid is found in fruit, vegetables and potatoes, especially cabbage, citrus fruit, kiwis, berries and strawberries. To preserve the antioxidant as much as possible, it is important to cook vegetables in little water and not longer than necessary. In addition, it is of course popular to take the vitamin in the form of a vitamin pill. The temptation can be great to take a pill instead of eating an apple or orange. Please keep in mind that this way you miss out on the important fibers from fruit!
How much vitamin C do you need?
Children up to the age of 16 are advised to consume between 40 and 65 milligrams per day. From the age of 16, 70 milligrams per day is recommended. You need a little more when you are pregnant as a woman (90 milligrams per day) and a little more when you are breastfeeding (110 grams per day).Of course, those numbers mean little to the average Dutch person. To give an indication, an orange contains 60 milligrams, a glass of orange juice 25 and if it contains pulp about 35. A spoonful of (not too long) cooked vegetables contains about 10 milligrams and a boiled potato about 5. This gives a good indication of how much you should eat and/or drink.
Is it dangerous to take too much vitamin C?
If it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt is a well-known proverb. But does this also apply to the intake of ascorbic acid? Not quite. Although too much is urinated, it is not good for the kidneys and increases the risk of kidney stones . This claim is not entirely believed by all doctors, as it concerns an oxalate. It is likely that you will overload your kidneys with it.Other things also get very confused. You will absorb more iron, but less copper. In addition, too high an intake can have a laxative effect, causing diarrhea and causing your body to lose important nutrients and energy.
Vitamin pill with too much vitamin C?
Because of this risk, a dietary supplement on the Dutch market may not contain more than 2000 mg per unit. But of course you still have to ensure that you do not take in too many units. A foreign supplement can also sometimes cross the border. An example of this is the drug Airplanes, which is sold on the American market and is recommended to people who feel a cold or flu coming on. However, this medicine contains so much ascorbic acid that it is not good for your kidneys and should not be sold in the Netherlands.However, don’t think that eating more than two oranges is harmful! Even if you eat ten a day and thus reach an intake of 600 milligrams of vitamin C, this is not a problem. Just try not to overdo it and continue to drink plenty of fluids to flush your kidneys! Even if you take a vitamin pill every day, you will remain well within the limits of what is healthy for your body.