The current health crisis has made people more cautious about their health and led them to focus on ways to safeguard it and one thing that has been heard closely with COVID-19 remedy is vitamin C.
So, lets discuss what so special about it.
To boost immunity and stay healthy one should exercise regularly, sleep well, drink adequate water and have a diet that is rich in all nutrients and antioxidants which includes vitamin C.
Significance of Vitamin C in COVID-19 times
Vitamin C was identified in the early twentieth century as a result of the search for the cause of scurvy disease. According to history in the 1970s, vitamin C was used for treating the common cold.
In the mid-90’s, scientists studied the relation between vitamin C deficiency and pneumonia, which is a lung inflammation caused by a viral and bacterial infection, and found that people with vitamin C deficiency took much longer time for recovery.
As per the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) recent study, vitamin C destroys mycobacterium, a non-pathogenic bacterium and it also fights any fungal infections of the skin and nails.
It is advised to take at least 500mg of vitamin C on a day-to-day basis as it helps in boosting immunity and controls common cold, flu and infections from viruses.
How vitamin C works
The severe lung injury related to COVID-19 is occurred due to the excessive free radicals and oxidative stress which is mounted by the dysfunctional immune system to kill the virus but end up harming the patient instead. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that can immunize your body with its natural defenses. By consuming adequate vitamin C, we can increase the antioxidant status of up to 30 percent in the human body, which can help to fight inflammation.
Boosts Immunity
- Vitamin C helps in the production of white blood cells, which guards the body against infections.
- It helps in the functioning of white blood cells and protects from damage by potentially harmful molecules, like free radicals.
- As per studies, vitamin C reduces the healing time for wounds.
Vitamin C for your skin
Vitamin C plays a significant role in the current skincare trend. The antioxidant properties of vitamin C and its hand in collagen synthesis gives it a significant place in skin health. It has plenty of other skin-healing properties that makes it prominent in the skincare regime. Some studies have shown that vitamin C may help prevent and treat skin photoaging due to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun.
Rich sources of vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin which means that leftover amounts of the vitamin will be discharged from the body through the urine. Even though the body keeps a small number of vitamin, it has to be taken regularly to prevent a deficiency in the body. Rich sources of vitamin C include guavas, bell peppers, kiwifruit, strawberries, oranges, papayas, broccoli, tomatoes, kale, brussels sprouts, lemon, lychee, mustard spinach, parsley and blackcurrants to name a few.
Vitamin C is one of the simplest ways to increase your immunity against infections and can be attained by including it in your daily diet. It has been associated with many health benefits including boosting antioxidant levels, lowering blood pressure, boosting immunity, protecting skin from infections and much more.
