Because of its popularity and widespread use as a dietary supplement, Vitamin C may be more familiar to the general public than any other nutrient. Studies show that more than 40% of older Americans take Vitamin C supplements. In some regions of the country, almost 25% of all adults, regardless of age, take vitamin C. Outside of a multivitamin, vitamin C is also the most popular supplement among some groups of registered dietitians, and 80% of the dietitians who take vitamin C take more than 250 milligrams.
Vitamin C also called ascorbic acid, is a term that literally means no scurvy. Some 250 years ago, a British physician found that sailors given citrus fruits were cured of scurvy which is the result of a vitamin C deficiency. Dehydroascorbic acid and ascorbic acid are the active forms of vitamin C found in food. Most supplements contain only ascorbic acid. Levels of ascorbic acid in the blood rise to the same degree following the consumption of both vitamin C containing foods and ascorbic acid.
Because of its role in collagen formation and other life-sustaining functions, vitamin C serves as a key immune system nutrient and a potent free-radical fighter. This...