Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a vital nutrient for humans.   Vitamin C functions in the body as an antioxidant.  Fresh supplies of vitamin C are required daily as our bodies can only store a certain amount of this vitamin and without it scurvy will result.

Vitamin C functions in the body to synthesize collagen and is essential to the development and the maintenance of blood vessels, cartilage and scar tissue.  Natural sources occur in many foods such as oranges, lemons, strawberries and other fruits and vegetables.

If you feel you do not get enough vitamin C in your diet from vegetables and fruits, you could look into supplementing with this vitamin.  Vitamin C supplements come in a vast variety of forms and different strengths.  There is vitamin C powders, supplements made with rose hips, cold remedies such as Airborne and Emergen-C.

Rose hips are the actual seed pod of the rose and are naturally high in vitamin C.  Thevitamin C that you take can also come in a slow release form.  The slow release variety is convenient because you don’t need to take many doses during the day.  It provides a continual supply of vitamin C all day long.

If you  feel you usually get enough vitamin C in your diet but need a boost of vitamin C when under stress from a cold or too much partying you can find temporary vitamin supplementation from Airborne or products such as Emergen-C.  Emergen-C provides 1000 mg. of vitamin C along with B vitamins.

Emergen-C is sold primarily as an energy booster.  Airborne, used for immune boosting, is a combination of vitamin C, vitamin A and E, minerals and amino acids.  Airborne is intended for use at the first sign of a cold and can signifigantly reduce the severity and duration of a cold.

Ester-C is another variation of vitamin C products.  Ester-C is a calcium ascorbate that states it will stay in your body longer at a higher level than alternate forms of vitamin C.  Ester-C boasts of rapid absorption as well as better retention of your vitamin C level.  Ester-C has an advantage over other forms of vitamin C as it is non-acidic and gentler on your stomach and is less likely to cause problems such as heartburn.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 20th, 2009 at 9:46 pm and is filed under Vitamins & Minerals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.