Vitamin C as a Supplement to Prevent Illness
Vitamin C supplements are probably the best way to prevent common illnesses like colds and the flu. However, what most people don’t know is that Vitamin C supplements can also help with other serious illnesses like cancer, lung disease and heart disease. In fact, new studies from many of the leading medical institutions in the world continually indicate that Vitamin C, even in low doses, can give your life expectancy a major boost.
Most people may think that they get enough Vitamin C from the foods that they eat like vegetables and fruits, but they don’t. In fact, one quarter of Americans don’t get the recommended daily amount of 60 milligrams of Vitamin C that their cells need to perform basic bodily functions. The National Cancer Center urges people to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, which would supply from 200 to 300 milligrams of Vitamin C; but only 9% of the American population accomplishes this. So, there are millions of people who are leaving themselves open to the possibility of illnesses that could be prevented by Vitamin C supplements.
Vitamin C supplements are potent, water-soluble antioxidants that trap and disarm free radicals in the watery part of your body’s tissue. Vitamin C supplements also work to help replenish Vitamin E and help enzymes to destroy other free radicals in your system. Free radicals are the toxic molecules that eat away at healthy cells and turn them defective, which over time can cause more serious diseases like cancer.
Over one hundred and twenty studies show that Vitamin C supplements work as a form of immunization against cancer. It was found that people who consistently took Vitamin C supplements were only half as likely to develop cancer as those who didn’t. Vitamin C supplements were found to be particularly effective on cancers of the stomach, esophagus, pancreas, cervix, rectum, and breast. To effectively prevent cancer, doctors in one study recommended taking 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams of Vitamin C supplements per day. This is far above the suggested daily dose recommended by the National Cancer Center, so anyone attempting this kind of regimen should talk to their doctor first.
Vitamin C supplements taken on a daily basis can prevent other kinds of conditions like heart disease. The correct doses can suppress high blood pressure, raise good-type HDL cholesterol, clean deposits form artery walls, and reduce the chances of heart-attack-inducing vascular spasms. Vitamin C supplements taken on a regular basis can also reduce breathing problems like asthma, prevent periodontal disease, and improve the immune system.
Improving the immune system is the first thing that comes to mind for most people when they think about taking Vitamin C supplements. Of course Vitamin C supplements do a great job of this, in addition to working on all of the other maladies they prevent. The way that Vitamin C supplements work with your immune system is to gear up your body to fight infectious bacteria and viruses. Vitamin C supplements do this by boosting the white blood cells and raising the body’s level of antioxidants. Taking 500 milligrams of Vitamin C supplements per day during flu and cold season may prevent or at least lessen the likelihood of being ill during this time.
Vitamin C supplements work on so many levels to prevent disease. Although Vitamin C may be plentiful in the foods that you eat, it’s really the supplements that put you over the top when it comes to preventing disease and increasing the length and quality of life. In fact, Vitamin C supplements have been shown to help people who take them live about 6.3 years longer.