Should You Take Vitamin C Supplements?

Mind is All

Vitamin C supplements are popular, but medical views regarding the value of vitamin C have changed. Find out what the latest studies have to say about 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. However, vitamin C is known to reduce your risk for developing cancer or heart disease, and vitamin C is believed to slow macular degeneration (worsening of eyesight due to age).

How should you get your recommended daily allowance of vitamin C? You can get vitamin C from fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits. It's advisable to also stock your kitchen with foods and drinks that are vitamin C fortified. 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? If you are an adult, you will benefit from taking at least 75 mg and not more than 2000 mg of vitamin C each day. Any dose over 2000 mg will put you at risk of undesirable side effects. Talk to your doctor about how much vitamin C your child should get, and make sure you consider age, weight, and how much your child drinks and eats vitamin C fortified drinks and foods. 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.

Should you take vitamin C supplements? Doctors currently feel you benefit most from natural sources of vitamin C, although they don't discount the secondary value of supplements. Studies indicate that our bodies prefer natural food and beverage sources of vitamin C, but most of us find it difficult to consume enough with a typical American diet. 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.