How important is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is best known for its antioxidant properties and its possible role in the prevention of certain chronic degenerative disorders. In fact, ascorbic acid may be the most important water-soluble antioxidant in the body. Many of the nutrients important to human health can be destroyed by oxidation. Vitamin C protects them from oxidation by being oxidized itself. In the blood, Vitamin C protects sensitive blood constituents from oxidation, and helps to protect Vitamin E. Red blood cells are thought to recycle the "used" Vitamin C back into the active form to conserve the supply. The antioxidant roles of Vitamin C are the focus of extensive study, especially in relation to disease prevention. Vitamin C is also required for the production and maintenance of collagen, a protein substance that forms the base for all connective tissues in the body: bones, teeth, skin and tendons. Collagen forms the scar tissue that heals wounds, the reinforcing structure that mends fractures, and the supporting material of capillaries that help prevent or heal bruises. Vitamin C is also known to help enhance the immune response to protect against infection, and is important to the production of thyroxine, the hormone that regulates basal metabolic rate and body temperature, and thus is also important in weight control, metabolism, and overall healthy body weight. IMPORTANCE: * Essential for healthy teeth, gums & Bones * helps heal wounds, scar tissue, & Fractures * prevents scurvy * builds resistance to infection * aids in the prevention & treatment of the common cold * gives strength to blood vessels * aids in the absorption of iron. * It is required for the synthesis of collagen, the intercellular "cement" which holds tissues together. * It is also one of the major antioxidant nutrients. * It prevents the conversion of nitrates (from tobacco smoke, smog, bacon, lunch meats, & some vegetables) into cancer-causing substances. * According to Dr. Lines Pauling, the foremost authority on Vitamin C, Vitamin C will decrease the risk of getting certain cancers by 75%. DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: * soft & bleeding gums * swollen or painful joints * slow-healing wounds & fractures * bruising, nosebleeds * tooth decay * loss of appetite * muscular weakness * skin hemorrhages * capillary weakness * anemia