All You Need To Know About Vitamin C

Gayatri Kashelkar explains how vitamin C plays a crucial role in maintaining your health.

- Gayatri Kashelkar

Vitamin C is also known as 'ascorbic acid'. It is a water-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods. Humans are unable to synthesize vitamin C endogenously, so it is an essential dietary component.

Importance of vitamin C

Helps protect cells and keeps them healthy.

Maintains healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilages.

Promotes wound healing.

Protects cells against the effect of free radicals (free radicals might play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases).

Increases iron absorption from the gastrointestinal tract.

Required daily allowance

According to ICMR 2010, recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin C:

Children, adolescents, adults - 40 mg/day

Pregnant women - 60 mg/day

Lactating women - 80 mg/day

Vitamin C and Diseases

Vitamin C is known to be beneficial in preventing or managing specific illnesses.