C vitamin

When I saw the title, I think everyone thought of citrus fruits and their use in winter months. However, vitamin C is a very important vitamin that has many functions in the body and has various nutritional sources in every season.

Since vitamin C cannot be synthesized in the body, it is a water-soluble vitamin that must be taken externally. It is also the least perishable vitamin due to its loss due to contact with oxygen, light, heat and metal. Vitamin C takes part in many metabolisms in the body. The excess amount taken into the body is not stored in the body but is excreted in the urine. Therefore, it should be taken in sufficient amounts daily so that the body can continue its normal function in a healthy way.

What are the benefits of vitamin C?

So to speak, vitamin C has too many benefits to count:

• It is thought to have a protective effect on the body against infections and bacterial toxins.

• It has been reported that it increases the amount of some immune elements. In this way, it strengthens the immune system.

• Vitamin C also helps the body use some nutrients. Vitamin C increases the absorption of iron. In order for this effect to occur, the food source of iron and vitamin C must be taken at the same time. It has been reported that vitamin C is also necessary for the better use of calcium, vitamin A, vitamin E and some B group vitamins in the body.

• Vitamin C is anticarcinogenic. In other words, it helps prevent the carcinogenic effects of some toxic elements by reducing their effect.

• Vitamin C in the eye protects the eye from the harmful effects of sunlight.

• It also has an effect on cholesterol metabolism. It has been reported that it increases HDL cholesterol and prevents LDL cholesterol oxidation.

• It prevents attacks in gout.

• Collagen, the protein that holds tissues together. It takes part in the synthesis.

• It has an effect on the strength of capillaries. In case of its deficiency, bleeding may occur due to light strokes due to weakening of blood vessels.

• It is involved in the synthesis of steroid hormones. Steroids, on the other hand, act against wounds and inflammation.

What is the importance of vitamin C in strengthening immunity?

In fact, vitamin C protects the body from infections. How it protects itself has not been fully explained. However, the fact that the amount of vitamin C in the body decreases during infection and that this decrease is due to the use of vitamin C to protect the immune system cells that kill bacteria and destroy microorganisms supports that vitamin C protects the body from infections. It has also been reported that vitamin C increases the levels of Immunoglobulin A and Immunoglobulin M, which are immune system elements, and reduces the activities of viruses.

Vitamin C is a very important antioxidant vitamin and with this feature, it improves the immune system. Antioxidants prevent the effects of free oxygen radicals that damage body cells.

Does vitamin C have any harm?

Such a situation occurs in case of excessive intake. It has been reported that excessive vitamin C intake reduces the absorption of vitamin B12 and causes stomach disorders. In addition, when high doses of vitamin C are taken, the benefit is not at the desired level as absorption decreases.

It has been reported that excessive vitamin C intake is risky in premature babies because they cannot be eliminated from the body.

In some individuals, excessive vitamin C intake is toxic. has been reported to have an effect. For example, individuals with deficient glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme…

 

What are the diseases seen in vitamin C deficiency?

Vitamin C affects many mechanisms in the body. Since it is necessary for regular operation, the daily requirement must be met. When this requirement is not met, various health problems begin to occur in the body. These problems begin mildly and as the deficiency increases, the symptoms become more severe.

Symptoms indicating vitamin C deficiency are as follows:

• Fatigue

• Delay in wound healing

• Decreased resistance to infections

• Reluctance

• Loss of appetite

• A moisture

• Swelling and bleeding in the gums

• Tooth decay

• Tooth loss

• Stop growth

• Dry skin

• Unhealthy hair (Dry, brittle hair)

• Swelling and pain in the joints

• Scurvy: Vitamin C deficiency It is the most severe condition that can be seen as a result of chronicity. Scurvy is a disease characterized by symptoms such as fatigue, swelling and pain in the joints, bleeding and loss of teeth, skin rash, and broken bones, and can result in death if left untreated.

 

Which fruits and vegetables contain vitamin C?

Although citrus fruits contain vitamin C, Even though it is remembered with its name, there is a source in every season. Fruits and vegetables that contain high amounts of vitamin C are: Capia pepper, green pepper, bell pepper, hot pepper, parsley, strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, mango, oranges, tangerines, lemons, grapefruits, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, peas, papaya, currants, blackberries, melons, grapes, spinach, arugula, etc.

As you can see. It has a wide nutritional source of vitamin C. However, vitamin C is a very delicate vitamin. Therefore, in order to benefit sufficiently from this delicate vitamin, it is necessary to pay attention in every field, from storage conditions to preparation and cooking conditions.

Points to be considered in foods that are sources of vitamin C:

• The cooking method used in foods containing vitamin C may cause vitamin loss. For example, cooking vegetables in plenty of water and discarding this water causes loss of almost all of the vitamins in them. Because vitamin C is already a water-soluble vitamin and passes into the cooking water. The correct method is to cook it in boiling water without water or with little water in a short time. In this way, vitamin loss that will occur is reduced.

• If food containing vitamin C is kept waiting after being cut or cooked, vitamin loss will occur again. In other words, when you drink orange juice by squeezing it well and letting it sit, or when you cook the vegetables you peeled and cut in the morning, in the evening, you cannot benefit enough from the vitamin C in your food. B. To prevent vitamin loss, you should clean and cook the vegetables as soon as you prepare the dish and consume them with the cooking water without waiting. The same applies to fruit and fruit juices; they should be consumed without waiting.

• Products such as soda added during cooking increase vitamin loss. In addition, some sauces added to salads can increase vitamin loss, so they should be dressed immediately before consumption.

• The fact that the container used while cooking is iron or copper is another factor that causes loss of vitamins through contact.

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• Canned foods, which are preferred due to their practicality, do not lose much vitamins if they are prepared under appropriate cooking conditions and with cooking water. However, losses also occur during waiting. Storing canned food in a cool place helps reduce loss.

• Using metal knives, peeling and chopping tools also causes vitamin loss.

• Improper storage conditions also cause vitamin loss. Storing in a cold place reduces vitamin C loss. In addition, since the surface area is larger, the loss in leafy vegetables is higher than in root vegetables.

• Finally, I would like to mention this: The environment in which the food is grown, its conditions and its ripening state also affect the vitamin C value. . In general, as the amount of ripening increases, the vitamin C value of vegetables and fruits decreases, and the vitamin C value of foods with a high sun exposure rate is higher.

At the beginning of this topic, why do we use the word delicate for vitamin C? I think what I use is better understood. For these reasons, the best source of vitamin C is fresh fruits and vegetables. And the less action you take, the more you benefit.

 

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