Ascorbic acid or vitamin C, as it's commonly known-has spent a good deal of time in the limelight over the years. The nutrient first came to the public's attention through the work of Linus Pauling, who researched the vitamin's ability to help the body combat the common cold and another disorders. Later, vitamin C's role as an antioxidant received much attention. Despite media hype, though, most people don not realize just how many important functions are performed by this nutrient.
Functions and Uses Vitamin C's Antioxidant Powers
Vitamin C's usefulness seems to stem from its role as an antioxidant. Ascorbic acid prevents the free-radical damage that contributes to aging and aging-related diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disorders. In addition, vitamin C prevents other antioxidant vitamins, including A and E, from being oxidized, so keeping them potent.
Cardiovascular Disease
Ascorbic acid also acts in many ways to help prevent high blood pressure atherosclerosis-the hardening of the arteries that can lead to heart attack and stroke. Both human and animal study has linked increased levels of vitamin C with a reduction of serum cholesterol. It is thought that Ascorbic acid may play a role in moving cholesterol from the arteries to the liver, where it's converted into bile acids and then, eventually, eliminated from the body along with fiber. Ascorbic acid may also help repair damaged arterial walls, and so prevent cholesterol deposits from forming. As an antioxidant, it reduces the oxidation of LDLs (low-density lipoproteins, and thus helps prevent any damage from occurring in the cell wall in the first place.
It has been discovered that elevated levels of lipoprotein(a), other fatty substance that can be measured in the blood, is a risk factor for stroke.
Food Sources: The foods that are highest in Ascorbic acid include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, black currants, collards, guava, horseradish, turnip greens, parsley, and sweet peppers. Also high on the list are cabbage, cauliflower, chives, kohlrabi, orange pulp, lemon pulp, mustard greens, beet greens, papaya, spinach, strawberries, watercress. Sources of moderate amounts of vitamin C are asparagus, lima beans, Swiss chard, gooseberries, red currants, grapefruit, limes, loganberries, melons, okra, tangerines, potatoes, and turnips.
Vitamin C is easily destroyed when exposed to oxygen; this process is accelerated by light and heat. Freshly orange juice, which is not likely to be that high in vitamin C in the first place, quickly begins to lose its supply of this nutrient, too. There is almost no Ascorbic acid to speak of in the juice sold in bottles and cartons.
Supplements
Vitamin C supplements are available both as vitamin C and as mineral ascorbates. You should be aware that the Ascorbic acid in most supplements has been synthesized from natural, inexpensive substances such as starch, molasses, and sago palm. I do recommend that we buy vitamin C supplements that contain bioflavonoids as these substances have been shown to increase vitamin C absorption.
Ascorbic acid is widely available in the form of chewable tablets. Although convenient, high intakes of these tablets are not recommended for that two reasons. First, they are usually loaded with sugar. Secondly, they may cause the pH of the saliva to fall so low that calcium is leached from tooth enamel.
