Vitamin C--your health assistant Posted: 07-23-08 01:22am
Vitamin C--your health assistant
Vitamin C or L-ascorbate is an essential
nutrient for a large number of higher
primate species, a small number of other
mammalian species (notably guinea pigs and
bats), a few species of birds, and some
fish.
The presence of ascorbate is required for
a range of essential metabolic reactions
in all animals and plants. It is made
internally by almost all organisms, humans
being the most well-known exception. It is
widely known as the vitamin whose
deficiency causes scurvy in humans. It is
also widely used as a food additive.
The pharmacophore of vitamin C is the
ascorbate ion. In living organisms,
ascorbate is an antioxidant, since it
protects the body against oxidative
stress,and is a cofactor in several vital
enzymatic reactions.
The uses and the daily requirement amounts
of vitamin C are matters of on-going
debate. People consuming diets rich in
ascorbate from natural foods, such as
fruits and vegetables, are healthier and
have lower mortality from a number of
chronic illnesses. However, a recent
meta-analysis of 68 reliable antioxidant
supplementation experiments involving a
total of 232,606 individuals concluded
that consuming additional ascorbate from
supplements may not be as beneficial as
thought.
