In the hot weather of summer, many people choose to supplement vitamin C to help cool the body. However, how to supplement safely?

Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that the body cannot produce on its own. This water-soluble vitamin plays an important role in bones, connective tissue, muscles and blood vessels.

1 Some great health benefits of vitamin C include

– Boost immunity: Vitamin C promotes the production of white blood cells, helping to protect the body against infections. Vitamin C supports the epithelial barrier against pathogens, promotes the body’s antioxidant activity, helping cells avoid damage from free radicals.

– Prevent eye aging and cataracts: Vitamin C contains antioxidants and helps increase blood flow to the eyes, improve eye health and prevent cataracts, eye diseases such as macular degeneration…

– Prevent the risk of  gout: Some studies have shown that vitamin C can help reduce uric acid in the blood, thereby preventing gout attacks.

– Improve skin, nails, hair: Vitamin C is the main ingredient in helping the body produce collagen, a very important protein that develops connective tissues such as skin, bones, muscles, body structure, especially in cartilage and ligaments.

Vitamin C has many health benefits.

2. Should you supplement vitamin C to cool down?

Vitamin C supplementation can help fight the negative effects of sunlight and increase the body’s resistance when the weather changes. However, vitamin C should not be considered a “cooling” medicine in the hot season, because using too much can cause digestive disorders, stomach ulcers, increased kidney stones…

Vitamin C is abundant in daily foods, so it is recommended to supplement vitamin C from food. If your diet lacks vitamin C or in some cases you need to supplement vitamin C, you need to follow your doctor’s instructions.

Daily vitamin C requirements by age group:

• Children from 1 to 3 years old: 15mg.
• Children from 4 to 8 years old: 25mg.
• Children from 9 to 13 years old: 45mg.
• Adolescents (14 to 18 years old): 65-75mg.
• Adult women (over 19 years old): 75mg.
• Adult men (over 19 years old): 90mg.
• Pregnant women: 85mg.
• Breastfeeding women: 120mg.

Studies have shown that people who smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke have lower concentrations of vitamin C in their plasma and white blood cells than non-smokers. This is explained by oxidative stress – an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body. Therefore, smokers need to supplement an additional 35 mg of vitamin C per day.

It is recommended to supplement vitamin C from food.

3. How to supplement appropriately?

Vitamin C can be destroyed by heat and light. Cooking food at too high a temperature or for a long time can break down the vitamin structure. Vitamin C is water-soluble, so to avoid losing water-soluble vitamins when cooking, use quick heating methods or use minimal water when cooking, such as stir-frying or blanching.

Vitamin C serums and creams are commonly used to stimulate collagen production and protect the skin against the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays from sunlight. However, research shows that topical vitamin C only provides limited benefits, has little ability to penetrate the skin’s surface, and does not provide additional benefits if the body is already adequately supplied with vitamin C through food or functional foods.

To avoid overusing vitamin C, supplementation should follow these rules:

– For normal healthy people, the best way to supplement is from daily food sources to meet the body’s vitamin C needs. Foods rich in vitamin C include citrus fruits, lemons, papaya, broccoli, strawberries, etc.

– In cases of illness or severe vitamin C deficiency, additional supplementation can be given orally or by injection. Drinking plenty of water will help the absorption and excretion of vitamin C better. The best time to absorb vitamin C is when hungry, so it should be supplemented in the morning before eating, and vitamin C should not be supplemented at night because it can lead to insomnia.

– Follow your doctor’s advice and instructions on the dosage and type of vitamin C to supplement. Avoid considering vitamin C as a supplement that needs to be taken without limit (especially for children and pregnant women).

– Effervescent vitamin C should not be used for people with high blood pressure, because the salt formed after the effervescent reaction will be absorbed into the body, causing high blood pressure. Consider expert opinion when using for people who are suffering from or have a history of urinary stones. – Vitamin C can cause allergies, so it should be limited to the maximum extent when using injections.

4. Consequences of vitamin C abuse

The intestinal absorption of vitamin C is very limited. Studies have shown that the absorption of vitamin C is reduced to less than 50% when taking large amounts above 1000mg. In healthy adults, large doses of vitamin C are generally not toxic because once the body’s tissues are saturated with vitamin C, absorption will decrease and any excess will be excreted in the urine.

However, prolonged use of high doses of vitamin C can cause unwanted effects such as:

– Digestive disorders (burning, stomach bleeding or diarrhea).

– Increased formation of kidney stones in people with kidney disease or a history of kidney stones. This can be explained by the fact that excess vitamin C will be excreted from the body in the form of oxalate, which can bind to minerals and form crystals, leading to the formation of kidney stones.

– Increased iron absorption and overload in people with hemochromatosis, a genetic disorder characterized by excessive iron accumulation leading to tissue damage.

– In people with glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) enzyme deficiency, high doses of vitamin C for a long time can cause hemolysis.

– In addition, if vitamin C is used regularly, high doses make the body easily get used to it, when not used, it will feel tired.