Strong resistance to cold
Since Dr. Pauling’s “Vitamin C and the Common Cold” has become a major topic, a lot of testing and research on the effect of vitamin C on cold has been done. While the result showed that it has no dramatic effect as originally expected, taking vitamin C makes you less vulnerable to catching a cold, reduces the frequency of catching it and lessens the severity.
The frequency of catching a cold differs from person to person. There are people who rarely catch cold and people who can barely feel the effect of vitamin C. With regard to the effects of vitamin C on cold, the frequency of catching it is not important. All of the researches have shown that even when you catch a cold, the severity of symptoms is reduced.
It is also effective to take vitamin C when someone feels like a cold is coming on even if they do not regularly take it. If you feel like you might be catching a cold, take 500 mg of it immediately and continue to take the same amount every hour. Generally, vitamin C could ward off the cold by taking three to four times of it. We should carry vitamin C supplements in our pockets or bags so that we could take it immediately when we feel the onset of cold symptoms or feel unwell. If we do not take vitamin C as soon as we feel like getting a cold, the effect would be minimal.
Preventing lifestyle diseases
Lifestyle diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke account for almost 60% of the cause of death. One of the biggest challenges today is preventing lifestyle diseases not only on a personal level but also on a community level.
Aging is a fundamental cause of lifestyle related diseases. However, when poor lifestyle choices, such as overeating, unbalanced diet, skipping meal, too much salt and sugar intake, smoking, excessive drinking of alcohol, chronic fatigue, lack of physical activity, and stress are piled up; they could also be the cause of illnesses.
Therefore, changing our lifestyle choices could reduce the risk of diseases. In addition, taking enough vitamin C could ensure prevention of lifestyle related diseases. In the U.S., taking vitamin C is said to be an ideal daily life habit.
Protection against cancer
The major cancer-causing agent is a substance called carcinogen. We should be cautious about foods with nitrosamines in particular as it is generated when unsuitably combined. In addition, reactive oxygen species can also initiate cancer. H. pylori also has a correlation with stomach cancer.
Poor food combination that triggers the production of nitrosamines can be prevented by taking vitamin C. Vitamin C, which suppresses the formation of nitrosamines and other carcinogens, eliminates and weakens the cancer-causing agents. It also produces interferon that stops the causes of cancer.
The important thing is that vitamin C enhances the immunity of the body. Vitamin C does not only eradicate cancer cells, but also revert cancer cells into normal cells.
Prevents heart disease and stroke
Heart diseases and stroke are examples of lifestyle-related diseases of the blood vessels. It will create an adverse result when arteries, especially the small ones, become hard, narrow, and lose the elasticity of their walls due to arteriosclerosis. In addition to arteriosclerosis, you should be cautious about hypertension, hyperlipidemia and obesity.
Sudden chest pain that does not last too long is called angina. In myocardial infarction, a blood clot (thrombus) blocks the coronary artery and stops the blood supply that causes damages to the heart tissue. Massive heart attack may lead to death.
Stroke is divided into cerebral hemorrhage and brain infarction. Cerebral hemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and this can happen easily on people with high blood pressure. Cerebral infarction arises when a blood clot blocks the bloody supply in the artery and destroys the tissue. People who have high cholesterol rather than people with high blood pressure should pay attention to this.
Vitamin C reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) and neutral fats. It can move cholesterol away from the artery wall and increases good cholesterol (HDL). It also helps lower blood pressure.
The antioxidant function of vitamin C is important. It protects the body from free radicals that are generated when the blood flow returns after a heart attack or a stroke. People who have already had a heart attack or stroke should take more vitamin C.
