The Low-Down on Vitamin C
by Marissa Camilon, MD 2011 | camilon@myhousecallmd.com
What it is? Where can you find it?
When we were kids, vitamin C lozenges were the equivalent of candy. Actually, they were even better than candy because they tasted great and they were healthy. As we grow older (and become more educated), we have to ask ourselves if this is really true. Is all that delicious vitamin C actually good for our bodies?
Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is a “water-loving” vitamin that, like other vitamins, cannot be made in your body and must be consumed as part of your diet. Luckily, vitamin C can be found in lots of foods (not just citrus fruits). Other sources of vitamin C include potatoes, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, cabbage, strawberries and spinach. Once inside your body, vitamin C plays a role in a number of metabolic reactions, including making collagen, transferring fatty acids into specific parts of your cells, assisting in hormone production and helping your immune response. It is also considered one of the “antioxidant” vitamins. Read the rest of this entry →
