I love Vitamin C !!

Vitamin C has been a good friend of mine since i was 7 years old ~ some might wonder why i still need to take Vitamin C tablets daily even though i take in plenty of Vitamins .. Minerals .. and practising healthy diet in my life but still WHY ??

It all started right after i got mild anorexia when i was about 7 years old.. ( suprised ?? ) it wasn't because i wanted to loose weight or maintain my body figure but due to my bad eating habit. I have an uncle who was the supplier of ice creams, so, every weekend when he came over, he sure brought with him few boxes of ice creams ( assorted flavors !! ) ~ and

i.. staying with my grandparents..away from my parents' control.. i will just skip my regular meals and starved my hungry tummy with those delicious ice cream !!!

after a while, i started to lost my interest on other food .. and whatever i ate, they all tasted bitter and AWFUL .. i can only drink water that time because i will throw out whatever i ate since they all tasted BITTER ='( i became very very thin ( like those kids in the African ~) mum took me to doctor, and he suspected i got eating disorder due to my stomach cannot absorb any food. It took me quite a while to overcome the disorder and get back to normal.. ( don't ask me how.. i am too SMALL to remember what therapy i gt =p )

Even though i am back to normal since the end of therapy, but still, my immune system become quite weak.. so i become prone to diseases.. such as cough and cold when the weather turned cold.. Then , Vitamin C came into my life !! ( i kept went to visit doctor until he prescribed Vitamin C to boost my immune system )

i still remember the first vitamin C i took was a ' heart-shaped' one ~~ it was just so lovely ~ everyday, i had to take one tablet.. I was addicted to the sweet and sour taste when i chewed it .. since then.. i visit the doctor less .. and.. definitely.. i finished bottle after bottle of vitamin C =p

When i get older, i learnt more about the uses of Vitamin C ( Vitamin C now even come in water soluble tablet form !! ) and even previously i came across it in one of my chemistry

experiment in which allowed me to understand the structure of vitamin C ( chemically known as ascorbic acid or L-ascorbic acid ) , and its reaction with various reagents. Let me share some of the info i learnt about my favorite vitamin..

firstly..

Vitamin C or Ascorbic acid or L-ascorbic acid shaped like the monosaccharide-- ribose due to the present of 5 C in the structure. It is unsaturated due to the presence of double bond ( it is alkene !!) . Vitamin C containing hydroxyl group ( that's why it is water soluble ) and esters.

Vitamin C is water soluble vitamin ( it will not store in our body) and it cannot get synthesize by our body as we lacked of the enzyme which is essential for the biosynthesis of vitamin C from the crude form of D-glucose. Therefore, we are required to consume green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits to make sure we have adequate amount of vitamin C =)

What we MUST take vitamin C ??

because.....

• it can prevent and treat scurvy ( no more bleeding when brushing teeth =p)
• it is one of the important cofactor in synthesizing collagen , cartilage, bone and teeth
• it can promote the healing of wounds and fractures
• it facilitate absorption of iron from gut
• it promote the formation of haemoglobin and maturation of red blood cells
• it is ANTIOXIDANT to reduce the oxidative stress in our body
• it helps in the conversion of folic acid to folinic acid * pregnant women have to eat more ^.^*

The daily requirement of vitamin C is 45-95 mg depending on one's body size.. needs.. etc

However, overdose of vitamin C can lead to some side effects as well even though the excess vitamin C will not get absorbed and will be excreted through urine.. for example..

• it will cause ingestion when large amount is taken on empty stomach

• formation of kidney stone due to deposition of oxalate ( one form of vitamin C)

Furthermore, as vitamin C is very sensitive to surrounding condition such as air, so, it should be stored properly ( according to the storage condition stated on the bottle )

when it is exposed to air, it gradually darken and become dehydroascorbic acid ( still can be consume as it is still potent => )

also, don't ever store it with heavy metal ions or under light exposure. So, it should be stored in air-tight container and avoid contact with metals

Vitamin C 500mg Tablets that i have been taking daily after my dinner =)

understand more about vitamin C ? ? so, remember to take your vitamin C daily if you are not vegetables or fruits lover so that your health can be maintained at all time =) cheers ~~