Vitamin C

or Ascorbic Acid

Matthew Slaughter and Austin McLean

Major Functions in the Body
● Antioxidant
○ Easily loses electrons
● Cofactor for collagen synthesis
○ “Body guard” for iron during synthesis of collagen (protects iron from being oxidized)
■ Iron converts the proline and lysine to hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine
● Cofactor in other reactions
○ The hydroxylation of carnitine (carnitine is a compound that transports fatty acids)
○ The conversion of tryptophan and tyrosine (amino acids) to serotonin and norepinephrine
(neurotransmitters)
○ Helps with the synthesis of thyroxine (hormone that regulates metabolic rate)
■ When metabolism speeds up in times of physical stress, the body’s use of vitamin C
increases
Major Functions in the Body Continued
● Stressors
○ Ex: high/low temperatures, infections, smoking
○ Immune system fights stressors → creates large amount of good free radicals to fight
stressors
○ Vitamin C regulates free radicals → excess will be bound to vitamin C
● Prevention/treatment of common cold
○ Some studies show reduction and duration of symptoms when taking vitamin C
○ Serves as an antihistamine
■ Cold symptoms occur due blood histamine rising
● Vitamin C acts as antihistamine to reduce symptoms
● Disease prevention
○ Unknown; still being studied
RDA for Adult Men and Women
● RDA
○ For men → 90 mg/day
○ For women → 75 mg/day
● If smoking
○ Men → 125 mg/day
○ Women → 110 mg/day
Major Food Sources
● NOT just citrus fruits

● Fruits and vegetables (main sources)

○ Vitamin C supplementation is available, but should not be needed
○ Examples: broccoli, orange, kiwi, red bell pepper

● Grains, proteins, and milk products poor source

Diseases Caused by Deficiency
● Scurvy
○ Early signs of vitamin C deficiency
■ Bleeding of the gums
■ Pinpoint hemorrhages under the skin
● caused by bursting capillaries

● Readily resolved by increasing vitamin C uptake

Toxicity Disease and symptoms
● Most people experience toxicity
○ Due to availability and constant advertisement
○ Plenty of supplements in stores
● Gastrointestinal stress and diarrhea
○ Main side effects due to overconsumption

● Kidney stones
○ Genetic abnormality preventing breakdown
○ Large doses accumulate resulting in kidney disease
● Can become a Prooxidant
○ Vit C enhances iron absorption and releases iron from body storage
■ Excess vitamin C results excess iron released, causing cellular damage
○ Results in too excess “free iron”, which acts as a free radical
○ Increases oxidative stress in the body when excessively consumed
Unique Characteristics
● The name ascorbic acid comes from the term “antiscorbutic factor” which
was used to describe anti-scurvy properties of citrus in the 1700s.
○ British physician James Lind conducted a study during the middle of the 18th century thats
purpose was to find a cure for scurvy. He took 12 sailors that suffered from scurvy and paired
them in groups of two. Each group received different types of rations to narrow down the
ration that would help treat scurvy (they couldn’t be sure if there is was one). He found that
sailors who received rations of citrus fruit such as lemons and oranges recovered from their
condition in little time.
● Antioxidant characteristics
○ Converts between ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid
○ Addition and loss of 2H+ in reversible reaction
References
● Whitney, E. N., & Rolfes, S. R. (2019). Understanding nutrition. Australia:
Cengage Learning.
● (n.d.). Retrieved from https://google.com/images