Should You Take Vitamin C Supplements?

Vitamin C supplements have been trendy for a while, but doctors are changing their tune on why and how you should take them. What do the most recent studies say about the benefits of vitamin C?

What does vitamin C do for you? Vitamin C has long been rumored to shorten the length of a cold (and to prevent colds), but recent studies suggest otherwise. Even better than fighting the common cold, Vitamin C is believed to bolster your resistence to heart disease, cancer, and macular degeneration, three serious health conditions.

What is the best way to get vitamin C? You can get vitamin C from fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits. So many foods are fortified with vitamin C these days that you are probably getting a good amount from food and beverages as well. Make sure you estimate how much vitamin C you are getting from natural and fortified sources when you calculate out how much you might need from a supplement.

How much is enough? Adults should aim to get anywhere between 75-2000 milligrams of vitamin C per day. Anytime you take over 2000 mg, you will risk unpleasant side effects. When dosing children, consider age, weight, and how much vitamin C the child gets through food and beverages, since many child-friendly products are fortified. Pregnant women should show extra caution not to exceed recommended amounts, since mega-dosing has been loosely linked with preterm birth and scurvy in newborns.

Are vitamin C supplements of value? Doctors currently feel you benefit most from natural sources of vitamin C, although they don't discount the secondary value of supplements. It seems that our bodies make best use of natural sources of vitamin C, but it's challenging to eat and drink enough of this nutrient. Try taking a vitamin C supplement along with food for best results.

Vitamin C supplements are currently still considered a good idea, but you should still try to eat as much vitamin C as possible through your meal plan choices and use supplements to close the gap.