Vitamin C is an essential nutrient in higher primates and some other species also. Vitamin C is essential for some metabolic reactions of plants and animals and is created by most organisms except humans. The lack of vitamin C causes a disease called scurvy and therefore is given the name of ascorbic acid. Vitamin C is also used as an additive food.
Ascorbate, pharmacophore of vitamin C is an antioxidant that slows aging, which protects against oxidation and acts in vital enzymatic reactions.
There is no consensus on the recommended amount of vitamin C daily. Due to its antioxidant effect, people who follow a diet rich in ascorbic acid from natural sources such as vegetables and fruits, have a lower mortality, better health and have fewer chronic diseases.
Food sources of vitamin C
The foods to which you can find vitamin C are all vegetables. Some fruits red or blue are often rich in ascorbic acid.
In the culture “Western” sources of vitamin C are the most common citrus lemon, orange, grapefruit, bergamot. In addition to citrus, another source of vitamin C is the tomato.
The major vegetable sources of vitamin C worldwide are: kiwi, gooseberry, loganberry, Brussels sprouts or , rose hip, seabuckthorn, jujube, cabbage, spruce needles, fruits Baobab, chili, pepper, black currant, pepper, paprika, pepper, guava, parsley, broccoli or broccoli, lychee and among others.
Types of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is divided into natural and synthetic. Vitamins are classified into natural C sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid. The synthetic vitamin C can be found with variations.
The synthetic vitamin C have advantages as its price since oil production is its raw material, a drawback is its limited effectiveness and side effects produced by consuming mineral elements as an alternative to vegetables.
The natural vitamin C, by contrast, is highly effective, and inexpensive and can be found in most vegetables and fruits (mainly citrus). By becoming crystals after extraction, has much lemon flavor, which can not be tolerated by people with sensitive stomachs.
