All fresh fruit and vegetables contain Vitamin C. Unfortunately, vitamin c is easily leached out of vegetables if they are placed in water and is also easily destroyed during cooking or exposure to copper or alkali. So fresh fruit and juices and salads are encouraged. Also advised to cook vegetables lightly and quickly. Vitamin is lost during storage. About 40% of the U.S. population consumes vitamin C as a dietary supplement in which “natural forms” are no more bio available than synthetic forms.
The recommended nutrient intake for adults
90 mg/day for males in the United States - for healthy people.
75 mg/d for females
Following are the rich sources of vitamin C.
1. Blackcurrants, guavas.
2. Rosehip syrup, green peppers.
3. Oranges, other citrus fruit, strawberries.
4. Cauliflower, broccoli.
5. Sprouts, cabbage, watercress.
6. Potatoes.
7. Liver and milk.
Absorption of vitamin C
If the dose of vitamin C administered in a single dose is < 100 mg, complete absorption occurs. At doses more than 1 g less than 50% is absorbed, this is because of increased degradation and fecal and urinary excretion of vitamin C at higher doses. As already mentioned above good dietary sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, green vegetables (especially broccoli), tomatoes, and potatoes. People get recommended daily allowance by consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. There are several drugs that interfere and cause vitamin C deficiency such as corticosteroids, aspirin, indomethacin, phenylbutazone, and tetracycline. As the requirement of vitamin C increase during major surgery it is advisable to supplement vitamin C upto 250 mg a day to cover major surgery. Bottlefed infants are advised to give orange juice. In the elderly scurvy can be avoided by consuming adequate fruits and vegetables. Careful observation is required in the elderly people who live alone. Rarely vitamin C supplementation is required.
Vitamin C requirements increase in the following situations.
1. Smoking,
2. Hemodialysis,
3. Pregnancy,
4. Stress
5. Infection
6. Trauma
