If you take vitamin C when you get sick, you’re using it all wrong

11 years ago | Vitamin C

By pH health care professionals

“Take some vitamin C.” You’ve probably heard it since you can remember, since your very first cold. As a kid, you probably downed glasses of orange juice at the first sign of the sniffles under your mother’s watchful eye. Later, you graduated to those popular powdered vitamin C drinks, hoping a sudden assault of extra vitamin C would make viruses retreat. But does it work?

Just last year, the Cochrane Reviews of existing clinical trial data concluded that most of us are using vitamin C all wrong. Turns out that vitamin C doesn’t really affect colds when taken after the first sniffle. Where it really makes an impact is in people who take it on a regular basis. These people typically experience colds that are consistently shorter and less severe. Instead of frantically loading up on 40,000 mg of C (most of which will end up in your urine anyway), take it on a daily basis.

Most multivitamins do not contain the recommended dosage for optimal health. They typically contain 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. New research estimates that the dosage necessary for optimal health is at least 120 mg per day. Other studies suggest between 200-500 mg per day.

So why do we need vitamin C?

Vitamins are “any of a group of organic compounds that are essential for normal growth and nutrition” that “are required in small quantities in the diet because they cannot be made or stored in the body.” These small quantities can be found in numerous types of fruits and vegetables.

According to the National Library of Medicine, we need vitamin C for growth and repair of tissues in all parts of the body. It is used to form a protein used to make skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels; to heal wounds and form scar tissue; and to repair and maintain cartilage, bones, and teeth. It also protects against heart disease, aids in the absorption of iron, and combats free radicals because it is also an antioxidant.

Vitamin C also has surprising uses in women’s health. Bacterial vaginosis recurrence was cut in half for women who applied one vaginal vitamin C tablet daily for six consecutive days per month after menses, according to a 2013 study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine Research. Why does it work? Vitamin C’s real name is ascorbic acid — so it acidifies the vagina, discouraging bacterial growth. Considering that some women deal with bacterial vaginosis for years on end, this natural solution should come as a welcome surprise.

So what should I do?

Remember, getting your daily recommended dosage of vitamin C is far more effective than waiting to get sick. And you want to make sure your body is getting what it needs.

Most assessment centers and doctor’s offices will not test your vitamin C levels, but we can do so here at Proactive Health Labs. Call us today at 855-PHLABS1 to schedule your specialized vitamin level testing.

Enjoy Your Healthy Life!

The pH professional health care team includes recognized experts from a variety of health care and related disciplines, including physicians, attorneys, nutritionists, nurses and certified fitness instructors. This team also includes the members of the pH Medical Advisory Board, which constantly monitors all pH programs, products and services. To learn more about the pH Medical Advisory Board, click here.