Vitamin C – Antioxidant Properties

Once with the discovery of vitamin C about 70 years ago, the life became easier for the human race. Vitamin C has an important role in collagen formation, it is a key immune system nutrient and a potent free radical fighter, preventing by it’s action many illnesses, from a common cold to cancer.

If you look in the nature you will see that the process of oxidation can be found all over the place. The iron left outside rusts, the copper becomes green, even a sliced apple turns brown. But, if you put a slice of apple in lemon juice, the oxidation process is slowed. This is the way vitamin C actions.

The scientific name of water-soluble vitamin C is “ascorbic acid.” The human body depends on ascorbic acid for many aspects of it’s biochemical functions, but it cannot produce it’s own supply of vitamin C. The only way to obtain it is by food.

Vitamin C strengthens the immune system, stimulates the activity of antibodies and immune system cells and enhance the body’s resistance from different diseases, including infections and certain types of cancer. Vitamin C also helps reduce the activity of free radicals and is administered intravenously as part of cancer treatment.

Vitamin C prevents free radical damage in the lungs and help to protect the central nervous system. Free radicals are molecules with an unpaired electron and they’re highly reactive and destructive to everything that gets in their way. Free radicals are part of the body chemistry, although they are the cause of many diseases. Since ascorbic acid is water soluble, it can work both inside and outside the cells to combat free radical damage.

Vitamin C also works along with glutathione peroxidase,a major free radical-fighting enzyme, to revitalize vitamin E, which is known as a fat-soluble antioxidant, contributing this way to the antioxidant activity in the lipids.

However, for an optimal health, we need a balance between free radical generation and antioxidant protection. The researches show that vitamin C may act as a pro-oxidant  under certain conditions. So, the excess of vitamin C could produce the opposite to its intended purpose.

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