Recently, scientists have discovered many new reasons why vitamin C can keep you healthy and even make you a little younger. We give you the latest known circumstances about vitamin C that can really help you.
Preventing wrinkles
Nowadays, you probably won't find beauty products without a label, listing their antioxidants. Rather, you'll find Vitamin C as well, because antioxidants like it really help to rejuvenate the body.
An October 2007 study published in the American magazine Clinical Nutrition showed that people who ate food rich in vitamin C had fewer wrinkles and fewer problems with age-related skin dryness than those whose diets contained small amounts of vitamin C. That's because vitamin C helps form collagen, which smoothes wrinkles on the skin.
The reason, as scientists think, is the ability of vitamin C to fight free radicals, i.e. by-products of cell metabolism in the body. Free radicals are believed to attack proteins, fats, and DNA, breaking the collagen. Vitamin C also protects against UV rays that can lead to freckles on the face. Vitamin C repairs the skin slightly and strengthens it.
Heart protection
Currently, experts continue to argue about whether antioxidants like vitamin C can prevent heart disease. But some of the evidence is very convincing. When Finnish researchers studied the results of a study that had involved nearly 300,000 people over 10 years, they found that taking more than 700 milligrams of vitamin C daily reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 25 percent. And a recent study by Harvard University experts shows that women who have taken 500 milligrams of vitamin C daily and 600 IU (a unit of measurement of the amount of substance based on biological activity). Wiki) vitamin E (another antioxidant) reduced the risk of stroke by 30 percent.
This conclusion can be explained by the fact that people who took vitamin supplements simply had a healthier lifestyle than those who did not. In addition, experts may say that vitamin C increases the functioning of endothelial cells (they level the inside of blood vessels), slowing down arterial clogging and lowering blood pressure.
Increasing brain activity
A combination of vitamins C and E is also useful for another reason: it can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by as much as 64%, according to a study in the "Archives of Neurology". Just 500 milligrams of vitamin C and 400 IU of vitamin E are enough.
High levels of brain fat make it particularly vulnerable to free radicals, but these antioxidants can act as human shields, says the author of the study, Peter Zandy, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg University of Public Health. "Some studies show that Vitamin E does his job of reducing free radicals in the body, but then his abilities are limited," says Zandi, "Vitamin C can recharge E.
Keep your eyesight
Vitamin C cannot eliminate the need to wear reading glasses by the age of 45. But antioxidants, including C, help prevent one of the leading causes of blindness: macular degeneration (MD), eye disease leading to complete loss of central vision.
More than 3.5 million Americans are believed to be in its early stages and the disease affects more women than men. A major clinical trial sponsored by the National Eye Institute found that a daily supplement of 500 milligrams of vitamin C, 400 IU of vitamin E, 15 milligrams of beta carotene, 80 milligrams of zinc, and 2 milligrams of copper reduced the risk of vision loss associated with MD by 25 percent. Antioxidants neutralize retinal damage caused, as you have already guessed, by free radicals.
Life extension
You've probably heard that green tea increases the body's protection from toxins. This is important because toxins are believed to contribute to cancer, heart attack, stroke, and many other diseases. In fact, one or two cups a day can reduce a woman's risk of dying by up to 20 percent, Japanese researchers say.
What is the link to vitamin C? Citrus juices (lemon, lime, orange) increase the immunity of green tea. A recent study by the University of Purdue showed that mixing citrus juice with green tea allowed 80 percent of the tea's antioxidants to stay after digestion, which was generally very beneficial to the body, says the author of the study, Mario G. Ferrucci, Associate Professor of Food and Nutrition at Purdue.