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Vitamin C is essential in order for your body to function more efficiently. It is also known as ascorbic acid. Many people take Vitamin C, knowing that it is good for their body but do not fully know why. This vitamin is a water-soluble vitamin, which means that any vitamin that is not used is removed during urination, which helps to prevent overdose. Vitamin B is another water-soluble vitamin. These vitamins are both stored in the liver, so that your body can fully get the effects from the vitamin. Humans were once able to create their own Vitamin C naturally, but this function was lost over the generations. Some animals still have this functional ability, but primates and guinea pigs have lost this ability, which is why guinea pigs are commonly used in research studies including Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps in collagen creation. Collagen is found in different parts of your body, particularly connective tissues, smooth muscle cells, skeletal cells, and cartilage. Vitamin C helps in the process of hydroxylation to amino acids, and thereby adding hydrogen and oxygen to produce pro collagen. This function is performed when your body requires it. Vitamin C also helps to prevent Vitamins E and A from oxidizing as well. If you have a deficiency in Vitamin C, you may get scurvy. Scurvy is not a very common condition except in alcoholics. Alcoholics tend to get many of their calories from alcohol. Scurvy can be debilitating with symptoms like bleeding gums, easy bruising, slow healing of wounds, joint pain, and the decrease of muscle tone. To ensure that you get enough Vitamin C in your diet, you need to make sure that you eat some citrus fruits, including limes, oranges, grapefruits, and limes. Other natural sources of Vitamin C are potatoes, tomatoes, and green peppers. To make sure that all people are getting the proper amount of Vitamin C, a recommended daily allowance has been set. This recommended amount is normally somewhere in the range of 60 to 90mg daily. Americans normally consumer about 72mg daily of Vitamin C. Fortunately, scurvy can be prevented with just 5 to 7mg of Vitamin C and you can take as much as 2000mg daily without any ill side effects. Any Vitamin C over this dosage will not cause permanent problems other than diarrhea. A myth about Vitamin C is that the more Vitamin C that you take, the longer that you will live. However, this myth is disputed by a study by the Mayo Clinic which showed that the reverse is true. Still, it is important that you get the recommended daily allowance. And it is best from natural food sources. If you find that you do not consume enough Vitamin C, then there are always supplements that you can turn to.
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WAHM Evelyn Lim shares about natural home remedies at her blog. To find out what you can do for your own home, please go to her site at www.natural-remedy-secrets.com. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.
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