There are certain essential vitamins that assist in maintaining our good health. One of those vitamins is vitamin C, which is also known that is as ascorbic acid, Vitamin C cannot be synthesized in adequate amounts and therefore is more effective to obtain from your diet.

Roles Vitamin C Plays in Our Health

Vitamin C plays an important role in the structural aspect of blood vessels tendons and ligaments and bone. It also is critical to certain brain functions that affect your moods.

Vitamin C is essential for transporting fat and converting it to energy and can also affect metabolism of cholesterol. Additionally, the lack of vitamin C can have an effect on the occurrence of gallstones.

Vitamin C as an Antioxidant

Vitamin C is a fabulous antioxidant. Even in small amounts it can protect molecules in the body such as proteins and carbohydrates from damage by the free radicals. It can also protect the body and cells against exposure to toxins and pollutants like smoking, which are in the air. Vitamin C can activate other antioxidants such as vitamin E.

Essential Vitamin C and Scurvy

I'm sure as a child you probably heard of scurvy that results from a severe deficiency of vitamin C. We heard the stories about scurvy on the ships at sea. Later it was discover that eating oranges and lemons can cure scurvy. The symptoms of scurvy are bleeding and bruising easily. having hair and tooth loss, joint pain and swelling. Symptoms can be related to the weakening of blood vessels in and the connective tissue and bone which contain collagen.

Early symptoms of scurvy, such as fatigue can result from not enough carnitine which is needed to activate the energy it from the fat you eat

It only takes a small amount of Vitamin C in the daily diet to prevent scurvy.