Ascorbic acid

Commonly known as vitamin C. Thrown in every supplement sold because is cheap. Underrated: while it helps maintain tissue and speed wound healing, an overlooked strength is its impact on boosting immune function. Unlike most animals, our organism can’t produce it and moreover is very quickly excreted. Stress is another major reason for reducing its levels and all smokers need a higher amount.

As we usually use it only to reduce the duration and severity of colds, let’s try to know a little more its much higher benefits. As sometimes happens with technicalities, I have to be a little tedious, sorry, no alternatives.

Immune cells have active vitamin C transporter molecules embedded in their membranes that actively pump the vitamin into the cells that need more: this is why blood levels of vitamin C drop during times of disease or infection. To increase the intake of vitamin C when sick is a MUST! Its content is closely related to those cells that engulf and destroy infecting organisms.

In particular it should always be used in these cases: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, anemia, periodontal disease, osteoporosis.

Let’s get back to the four immune system’s cells benefited by this vitamin:

Natural killer (NK) cells are “hit men” of infectious targets identified as foreign by our organism. Vit. C helps NK cells to track and destroy tumor cells.

Neutrophils are the main cells fighting bacterial infections. They engulf invading organisms, then destroy them with powerful blasts of short-lived oxygen free radicals (yes, sometimes free radicals are our friends).

Lymphocytes are immune cells that produce antibodies (B-lymphocytes) and coordinate with other cells to guide them towards threats needing destruction.

Antibodies are noncellular components that help identify and destroy cancerous cells, known as immunoglobulins: IgA, IgG, IgM.

Please, from now on, don’t consider this vitamin less important merely because is widely used and cheap.

My personal, final hint: low quality supplements have low dosage of ascorbic acid. An effective amount is AT LEAST 1 gram (1,000 mg), if in addition to a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, otherwise even 2 or 3 grams daily. Like all other vitamins the more they’re combined together, the better. For this one in particular I suggest: quercetin.

That’s it. Sorry for the technicalities.

….Always humble,

Angiolino