Why is it important to take vitamin C?

Let’s see what it is, what it does and why it is important to take vitamin C.

With the arrival of the cold season the grandmothers recommend always eat fruit rich in vitamin C, but why? Is it a popular belief that it brings benefits in the cold season or is there a scientific basis behind the adages of our tradition?

How Vitamin C Helps the Body

As simple as that, our bodies require vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, to function regularly.

Vitamin C plays a fundamental role in several vital functions for the body including the synthesization of collagen and the healing of wounds.
A regular intake of vitamin C prevents the onset of scurvy, a disease well known to the great navigators of the past.
It was also noted that it effectively reduces the duration and severity of the municipality cold.

Unfortunately, no ability to prevent the onset of the cold itself was observed.

But why is it important to take vitamin C through food?

Our body is unable to synthesize it by itself?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. The man assimilates to the great primates, the bats, capybaras and guinea pigs are not able to synthesize vitamin C.
This disability is thought to be due to a mutation that occurred in a distant progenitor and was inherited by modern species.
Fortunately, these species were able to adapt to this deficiency by starting to consume foods rich in vitamin C.

Foods rich in vitamin C.

Surprisingly, it is not only citrus fruits that are rich in vitamin C, in fact they are not even among the richest.
By consulting any nutritional table we note that citrus fruits are in fact just in the average in terms of weight / quantity of vitamin ratio.
They are in fact surpassed by common vegetables such as brussels sprouts, and even more by kiwis and broccoli. So if for any reason you don’t like citrus fruits or can’t eat them, don’t despair, there are many alternatives.