How Much Vitamin C Do You Need?

Vitamin C can help with hydration, immune system support, headaches, and overall health.  Almost every animal on the planet can make their own Vitamin C, except humans, guinea pigs, and a type of fruit bat can not. We lost the ability to make the 4th enzyme that can convert glucose to ascorbic acid.

Vitamin C is necessary for the operation of our immune systems; our white blood cells cannot function properly without an adequate supply. Vitamin C also plays a key role in the synthesis of neurotransmitters, steroid hormones and metal ion metabolism. It is most widely known, however, as an antioxidant, preventing and repairing cellular damage caused by toxic metabolic byproducts that many scientists think are the major cause of many diseases and aging.

So we need Vitamin C, but too much can cause loose stool. Use ascorbic acid.

Many alternative-thinking scientists now frequently recommend a range of 500 mg to 1,000 mg per day—preferably in two or three doses with meals. But that’s when you’re healthy. While studies do not prove that vitamin C prevents the common cold, scientists have found that large doses taken at the onset of a cold can shorten its duration by 23%, on average. Those studies recommend taking between 1,000 mg and 8,000 mg daily at the first signs of a cold, in doses of up to 1,000 mg a piece. With regard to cancer, Riordan’s research indicates that some cancer patients are approaching clinical scurvy (a side effect of chemotherapy treatments), and therefore need far higher doses. A common recommendation is 20,000 mg of oral vitamin C supplements per day for cancer patients, or whatever their bodies can handle.

Start out with a small amount and very gradually increase it at your own pace, gradually taking a little more each day. Take small amounts frequently rather than large amounts less frequently, at roughly equal intervals throughout the day. Each day you can add 200 mg of Vitamin C until you reach loose stool, then that is your recommended dose for cold prevention.

Stay healthy,

Heather Fleming, C.C.N.

Photo by: Rego Korosi