Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin that your body needs to process well. Since your body can not produce on its own, you need to take it from external sources. You can get enough vitamin C from natural sources like fruits and vegetables. You can get it through fruits like oranges, kiwis, strawberries, and vegetables like lemons, spinach, broccoli, kale, and bell peppers.
Benefits of vitamin C
Vitamin C helps in regulating many bodily functions like the synthesis of collagen, prevention of infections, maintenance, and repair of bones, teeth, and cartilage. Moreover, it also serves as an immune booster. There are many benefits of consuming vitamin C in your diet. Some of them are as follows.
- Boosts your immunity
- Imparts glow to your skin
- Lowers the risk of cancers
- Protects you from infections
- Reduces inflammation
- Keeps blood pressure under control
- Lowers elevated levels of serum uric acid
- Slows down aging
- Keeps your bones, cartilages, and teeth strong
Along with all these benefits, it also lowers serum uric acid. Due to which it plays a role in lowering the risk of gout exacerbation.
Vitamin C deficiency can cause scurvy- a condition in which bleeding of gum occurs with fatigue, rashes, and bruising. Therefore, you must make sure that you get enough of it. For women, the daily recommended dose is 75mg and for men, it is 90mg. If you fail to get enough of it through natural resources, you can get it through a supplement.
What is gout?
Gout is a kind of arthritis (joint pain). Its onset is sudden and is very painful that occurs due to the build-up of excess uric acid in your blood. It is characterized by red swollen joints that are quite painful. The signs and symptoms of gout are as follows.
- Intense pain in the joints, like that of wrist, elbow, or knee
- The discomfort of joints that lasts long
- Red, swollen and tender joints
- Limited range of motion
Vitamin C and gout
Vitamin C can help reduce the risk of gout by lowering the serum concentration of uric acid. It happens because vitamin C leads to increased urate excretion through the kidneys. Therefore, it helps in lowering gout attack exacerbation.
According to experts, taking 500mg of vitamin C daily reduces the risk of gout by 17%, whereas, taking more than 1500mg of it daily reduces the risk up to 45%. However, make sure you do not consume more than the tolerable level.
According to IOM following are the levels of vitamin C that a person can tolerate according to their age.
- Kids aged 1 to 3 years can tolerate 400mg of vitamin C in a day.
- Kids aged 4 to 8 years can tolerate 650mg of vitamin C in a day.
- Adolescents aged between 9 to 13 years can tolerate 1200mg of vitamin C in a day.
- Teenagers aged 14 to 18 can tolerate 1800mg of vitamin C in a day.
- Adults can tolerate 2000mg of vitamin C in a day.
Vitamin C food sources
Along with supplements, you can consume enough vitamin C through fruits and vegetables. However, it is better to eat them raw as vitamin C is heat-labile. If you cook it, it may not give you enough of the right nutrients.
- A half-cup/75mg of red pepper gives 95mg of ascorbic acid that is 158% of the daily value.
- 177ml of orange juice gives 93mg of vitamin C that makes 155% of the daily value.
- Half a cup or 90grams of kiwi fruits gives 64mg of ascorbic acid that constitutes 107% of the daily value.
- Half cup green pepper or 75 grams gives 60mg of vitamin C that gives 100% of the daily value.
- Half a cup or 78mg of cooked broccoli contains 51mg of vitamin C that gives 85% of the daily value.
- Half a cup or 72grams of fresh strawberries yield 49mg of vitamin C, which constitutes 82% of the daily value.
Conclusion
Gout is a painful condition of joints that occurs due to increased levels of uric acid in your blood. Vitamin C helps lower its exacerbation. Therefore, you must incorporate it into your diet in the form of supplements and through natural resources. However, do not substitute your medicines prescribed by your healthcare provider for gout with a vitamin C supplement.