Scientists are speaking up about the suboptimal
recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin C, saying that it should be
increased to 200 milligrams per day to ensure tissue and cell saturation and
promote better overall long-term health. This is more than double the current
recommendation of 75 milligrams per day for women and 90 milligrams per day for
men.
Researchers argue that the current RDA levels are
based on the prevention of vitamin C deficiency or the disease, scurvy.
However, the present recommended level may not be adequate for people to reap
the powerful antioxidant benefits of vitamin C. Many well-designed studies show
that optimal amounts of vitamin C can aid in cell integrity and heart health.
Professor Balz Frei, director of the Linus Pauling
Institute, points out that experiments designed to test the safety and efficacy
of pharmaceutical drugs are not appropriate for determining the
health-promoting capacities of nutrients that are required for normal
metabolism. Additionally, short-term clinical studies are not able to capture
the benefits of vitamin C, which may take years or decades of optimal
consumption.
Evidence shows that there are a large number of
people who are vitamin C deficient, even at the current low RDA. Various
studies have found that about a quarter to a third of people are marginally
deficient, and up to 20 percent in some populations are severely deficient.
Smokers and older adults, for example, are at significant risk for vitamin C
deficiency.
The RDA represents a minimum level of
intake to avoid deficiency diseases. There is an abundant amount of research
showing that intakes as great as 1,000 milligrams contribute to plasma and
tissue saturation, therefore optimizing the antioxidant properties of vitamin
C.
High intakes of vitamin C have not been found to
be toxic to the body; however, doses of more than 1,000 milligrams may cause
stomach discomfort or diarrhea. An easy fix is to consume vitamin C as a
supplement along with food.
As Frei stated in a press release, “The benefit-to-risk
ratio is very high. A 200 milligram intake of vitamin C on a daily bases poses
absolutely no risk, but there is strong evidence it would provide multiple,
substantial benefits.”
Along with guinea pigs and apes, humans are not
able to produce vitamin C. Instead, we rely on the foods we consume such as
kiwi, bell peppers, and citrus fruits. It can be difficult to get 200
milligrams of vitamin C just through your diet—you would need five to nine
daily servings of fruits and vegetables along with a six-ounce glass of orange
juice.
Isagenix can help! Be sure you are getting the
vitamin C you need by supplementing your diet with Isagenix C-Lyte which contains
520 milligrams of vitamin C per serving.
For more information about this topic and other
health and wealth related topics use the following websites:
Reference: Frei B,
Birlouez-Aragon I, Lykkesfeldt J. Authors’ Perspective: What is the Optimum
Intake of Vitamin C in Humans? Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2012;52:815-29. doi:
10.1080/10408398.2011.649149
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