Benefits of Vitamin C for Health and Skin
Vitamins are essential nutrients that are required for various biochemical and physiological processes in the body, and vitamin C is a very important one. From heart health and your immune system to collagen production and protection from UV damage, we want to share with you today why vitamin C is beneficial for your health and skin – both on the inside and out!
Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, is a water soluble antioxidant that helps protect your cells against the effects of free radicals, which can cause disease. Your body doesn’t make its own vitamin C, so it is crucial that you get optimal amounts of vitamin C through the food you eat and high-quality nutritional supplements.
VITAMIN C FOR THE INSIDE – YOUR HEALTH
Health Benefits of Vitamin C (1)
- Protects the body from various negative effects of free radicals, pollutants and toxins
- Facilitates the conversion of cholesterol into bile acids and hence lowers blood cholesterol levels
- Helps prevent heart disease and atherosclerosis
- Increases the absorption of iron in the gut
- Used in the treatment and prevention of diabetes, common cold, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, stroke, cancer and more
- Helps in the synthesis and metabolism of tyrosine, folic acid and tryptophan, hydroxylation of glycine, proline, lysine carnitine and catecholamine
Vitamin C and the Common Cold
Today, the most widely known beneficial health effect of vitamin C is for the prevention and relief of the common cold. Dr. Linus Pauling was the first to introduce the concept of high dose of vitamin C as an effective way to help prevent and relieve a cold. Research shows that vitamin C reduces the severity and duration of the symptoms from a cold during the period of infection. (1)
Vitamin C and the Immune System
Vitamin C has been shown to stimulate the immune system by enhancing T-cell proliferation in response to an infection. Further, it has been shown that vitamin C blocks pathways that lead to apoptosis (cell death) of T-cells and thus stimulates or maintains T-cell proliferation to attack the infection. (1)
Vitamin C and Tissue Healing
Wound healing requires synthesis and accumulation of collagen and subsequent cross-linking of fiber to give new strength to the damaged tissue. Adequate supplies of vitamin C are necessary for a normal healing process, especially for post-operative patients, because there is rapid utilization of vitamin C for the synthesis of collagen at the site of a wound. Both topical vitamin C and increased vitamin C intake are very useful for wound healing, because wounds are often inflamed and need increased collagen production for healing. (1)
Vitamin C and Heart Health
Did you know that vitamin C plays a crucial role in protecting your heart? There is a fundamental connection between heart disease and a vitamin C deficiency.
Humans and guinea pigs are the only mammals that don’t make their own vitamin C. In Dr. Matthias Rath’s book, Why Animals Don’t Get Heart Attacks…but People Do!, he explains why animals (with the exception of guinea pigs) don’t get heart attacks. It’s because they produce vitamin C in their body. Why is this important? Because vitamin C stabilizes the arteries so that animals rarely develop atherosclerosis, a condition when plaque builds up inside the arteries and causes the artery walls to thicken.
Cardiovascular disease is a degenerative disease caused by a vitamin C deficiency which leads to deposits of lipoprotein(a) and fibrin in the blood vessel walls. (2) A vitamin C deficiency has a profound effect on the development of vascular diseases and causes aortic wall damage. (3) Research shows that a poor vitamin C level is a risk factor of ischemic heart disease, where there is decreased blood flow and oxygen to the heart. (4)
The main cause of heart attack, as well as strokes (5), is a scurvy-like condition of the artery wall. A vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy, which is the breakdown of the body’s connective tissues, including blood vessel walls. You could think of atherosclerosis as an early form of scurvy.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps reduce cell wall damage caused by free radicals. The most important function of vitamin C in preventing heart attacks and strokes is its ability to increase the production of collagen, elastin and other reinforcement molecules in the body. This improves stability of your arteries.
Signs of a Vitamin C Deficiency
A deficiency of vitamin C is often associated, most notably throughout history, with scurvy, as well as with anemia, infections, bleeding gums, poor wound healing, capillary hemorrhage, muscle degeneration, atherosclerotic plaques and neurotic disturbances. (1)
Dietary Sources of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes…), green peppers, red peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, turnips, Indian gooseberry and other leafy vegetables. (1)
Vitamin C Supplements
Vitamin C supplements are a great way to get your daily vitamin C, especially since in today’s world it is hard to get all the nutrients we need from food. We have Vitamin C Capsules that contain no sugar, salt, starch, yeast, wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, shellfish or preservatives. If you’re not a pill taker, then try our Vitamin C Buffered Powder with its great-tasting natural orange flavor – just mix it in water or a favorite healthy beverage.
VITAMIN C FOR THE OUTSIDE – SKIN HEALTH AND APPEARANCE
Vitamin C and Skin Health
The primary function of the skin is to act as a barrier against insults from the environment, and its unique structure reflects this. The skin is composed of two layers: the epidermal outer layer is highly cellular and provides the barrier function, and the inner dermal layer ensures strength and elasticity and gives nutritional support to the epidermis.
Normal skin contains high concentrations of vitamin C, which supports important and well-known functions, stimulating collagen synthesis and assisting in antioxidant protection against UV-induced photodamage. The most compelling argument for the role of vitamin C in protecting skin function comes from observations that a vitamin C deficiency causes obvious skin problems such as early signs of scurvy, for example, which include skin fragility, corkscrew hairs and poor wound healing. (6)
Vitamin and UV Damage
Changes to the skin due to UV exposure have much in common with the process of natural aging, with one major difference being a more acute onset. It is established that vitamin C limits the damage induced by UV exposure. This type of injury is directly mediated by a radical-generating process, and protection is primarily related to its antioxidant activity. (6)
Skin Care Products Containing Vitamin C
Skin Nutrition Vitamin C Defense Serum
Skin Nutrition Vitamin C Defense Serum is for dry, normal skin types. It is our ultimate GLOW GETTER serum packed full of vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids to balance uneven tone and restore your skins healthy glow…NATURALLY.Â
Ingredients:
- Vitamin C – Stable Vitamin C brightens and defends against oxidative damage
- Licorice Root Extract is a brightening agent that balances tone and inhibits dark spots
- Niacinamide reduces appearance of redness and hyperpigmentation
- Arginine boosts collagen and wards off environmental damage
- Superoxide Dismutase is a superior antioxidant that shields against free radical damage
- Glutathione is the “Master Antioxidant†that protects cells from oxidative stress
Skin Nutrition Brighten & Restore Toner
Skin Nutrition Brighten & Restore Toner is for all skin types. It is a skin-perfecting, brightening toner that visibly illuminates dullness, minimizes dark spots, and balances uneven skin tone.Â
Ingredients:
- Mandelic Acid (2%) brightens, suppresses hyperpigmentation and enhances cell turnover
- Glutathione, also knows as the “Master Antioxidant,†protects cells from oxidative stress and damage
- Vitamin C illuminates and defends skin from free radical damage
- Superoxide Dismutase is a superior antioxidant that helps protect against oxidative damage
- Papaya Enzymes promote exfoliation and provide antioxidant benefits
Epionce MelanoLyte Tx
Epionce MelanoLyte Tx is a powerful botanical-based product formulated to help brighten skin and reduce the visible appearance of uneven tone. It gives you prolonged results without damaging the skin and is safe for long-term daily use.
Main Ingredients:
- Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (vitamin C)
- Willow Bark Extract
- White Water Lily Extract
- Licorice Root Extract
- Olive Oil
- Meadowfoam Extract
- Limnanthes alba
- Flax (Linseed) Seed Extract
- Samphire
- Apple Fruit Extract
- Orange Fruit Extract
- Date Fruit Extract
Click here to see all of our vitamin C supplements and skin care products today!
We are here to help.
Do you have questions about vitamin C or any of your other vitamin and supplement needs? Call our Certified Holistic Nutritionists and Vitamin Consultants for a complimentary consultation today at 281-646-1659. It will be our privilege to serve you!
Research:
1. Vitamin C in Disease Prevention and Cure: An Overview
3. Aortic Wall Damage in Mice Unable to Synthesize Ascorbic Acid
4. Relationship of Plasma Level of Vitamin C to Mortality From Ischemic Heart Disease
5. Plasma Vitamin C Modifies the Association Between Hypertension and Risk of Stroke
