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Vitamin C is a very important nutrient that’s abundant in many fruits and vegetables. Getting enough of this vitamin is especially important for maintaining a healthy immune system. It also plays an important role in wound healing, keeping bones strong, and enhancing brain function.
For months, some Nigerians have been consuming too much Vitamin C as a means of fortifying themselves against COVID-19. A quick visit to neighborhood pharmacies lay credence to the fact that people clear Vitamin C tablets from shelves before any other drug.
While Vitamin C, which is also known as ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient, it’s possible to have too much of it. It is a water-soluble vitamin that supports normal growth and development and helps your body absorb iron.
Because the body doesn’t produce or store vitamin C, it is important for people to include vitamin C in their diet. For some people, an orange or a cup of strawberries, chopped red pepper, or broccoli provides enough vitamin C for the day but swallowing Vitamin C tablets in excess has some health consequences that many people are not aware of.
For adults, the recommended daily amount for vitamin C is 65 to 90 milligrams (mg) a day, and the upper limit is 2,000 mg a day.
Dr. Gabriel Omonaiye told Saturday Sun that huge doses of vitamin C supplements might cause Diarrhea, nausea, headache, insomnia, abdominal cramps, heartburn and vomiting. He said that for most people, a healthy diet provides an adequate amount of vitamin C.
The most common side effect of high vitamin C intake is digestive distress. In general, these side effects do not occur from eating foods that contain vitamin C, but rather from taking the vitamin in supplement form.
Omonaiye said: “People are most likely to experience digestive symptoms if they consume more than 2,000 mg at once. The most common digestive symptoms of excessive vitamin C intake are diarrhea and nausea. Excessive intake can also lead to acid reflux.”
“If you are experiencing digestive problems as a result of taking too much vitamin C, simply cut back your supplement dose or avoid vitamin C supplements altogether, Omonaiye advised.”
Excessive intake of Vitamin C tablets may cause iron overload in your body as this vitamin is known to enhance iron absorption. Individuals with conditions that increase the risk of iron accumulation in the body, such as hemochromatosis, should be cautious with vitamin C supplements.
This is because taking vitamin C in excess may lead to iron overload, which can cause serious damage to one’s heart, liver, pancreas, thyroid, and central nervous system. Iron overload is highly unlikely if you don’t have a condition that increases iron absorption. Additionally, iron overload is more likely to occur when excess iron is consumed in supplement form.
Excess vitamin C is excreted from the body as oxalate, a bodily waste product. Oxalate typically exits the body via urine. However, under some circumstances, oxalate may bind to minerals and form crystals that can lead to the formation of kidney stones. Consuming too much vitamin C has the potential to increase the amount of oxalate in your urine, thus increasing the risk of developing kidney stones.
Reports of kidney failure have also been reported in people who have taken more than 2,000 mg in a day. However, this is extremely rare, especially in healthy people.MAnother concern regarding excessive vitamin C intake is that it can impair the body’s ability to process other nutrients. For example, vitamin C may reduce the levels of vitamin B-12 and copper in the body.
VITAMIN C AND COVID-19
Vitamin C affects your immune health in several ways. Its antioxidant activity can decrease inflammation, which may help improve your immune function. It also keeps your skin healthy by boosting collagen production, helping the skin serve as a functional barrier to keep harmful compounds from entering your body. Vitamin C in the skin can also promote wound healing.
However, it’s important to note that vitamin C is not yet a standard part of the treatment plan for COVID-19 because evidence is still lacking.Trusted Sour
Though high dose IV vitamin C is currently being tested to see if it can improve lung function in people with COVID-19, no evidence suggests that high doses of oral vitamin C supplements can help with the disease. In fact, they can cause complications like diarrhea.
Vitamin C also keeps your skin healthy by boosting collagen production, helping the skin serve as a functional barrier to keep harmful compounds from entering your body. Vitamin C in the skin can also promote wound healingSoVitamin C also keeps your skin healthy by boosting collagen production, helping the skin serve as a functional barrier to keep harmful compounds from entering your body. Vitamin C in the skin can also Vitamin C also keeps your skin healthy by boosting collagen production, helping the skin serve as a functional barrier to keep harmful compounds from entering your body. Vitamin C in the skin can also promote wound healing
How much vitamin C is too much?
Since vitamin C is water-soluble and your body excretes excess amounts of it within a few hours after you consume it, it’s quite difficult to consume too much.
In fact, it is nearly impossible for you to get too much vitamin C from your diet alone. In healthy people, any extra vitamin C consumed above the recommended daily amount simply gets flushed out of the body.
However, the risks of vitamin C overdose are higher when people take supplements, and it is possible to consume too much of the vitamin in some circumstances.
For example, those with conditions that increase the risk of iron overload or are prone to kidney stones should be cautious with their vitamin C intake. The adverse effects of vitamin C, including digestive distress and kidney stones, appear to occur when people take it in mega doses greater than 2,000 mg.
If you choose to take a vitamin c supplement, it is best to choose one that contains no more than 100% of your daily needs. That’s 90 mg per day for men and 75 mg per day for women.
Trusted Sou
Fortunately, it’s easy to prevent these potential side effects — simply avoid vitamin C supplements.SFortunately, it’s easy to prevent these potential side effects — simply avoid vitamin C supplements.
Trusted Sitamin C binds with non-heme iron, making it much easier for your body to absorb. This is an important function, especially for individuals who get most of their iron from plant-based foods (7
Trusted Sourdividuals with conditions that increase the risk of iron accumulation in the body, such as hemochromatosis, should be cautious with vitamin C supplements.aking vitamin C in excess may lead to iron overload, which can cause serious damage to your heart, liver, pancreas, thyroid, and centralon overload is highly unlikely if you don’t have a condition that increases iron absorption. Additionally, iron overload is more likely to occur when excess iron is consumed in supplement form.
