Ascorbic
Acid Helps the Body Form Skin: Producing Collagen
Ascorbic acid is the fancier term
for vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin that is essential in order
for the body to grow and repair tissues. It is also important in
order for the body to form collagen, a protein necessary to make
skin, as well as scar tissue, ligaments and blood vessels. Plus,
ascorbic acid is needed to repair and maintain the good health of
your teeth, cartilage and bones. Aside from its healing powers,
ascorbic acid is also an antioxidant, which lives to scavenge harmful
free radicals and eliminate them from the body. Free radicals are
damaging oxygen molecules that form naturally in the body but when
in excess can affect cells, causing side effects like premature
aging and possibly ailments such as heart disease and cancer. Antioxidants
like ascorbic acid can help lessen the damage cause by these free
radicals.
Your body cannot manufacture ascorbic acid and it doesn’t
store it, either. This is why it is essential for you to eat foods
that are rich in ascorbic acid on a daily basis. Aside from its
ability to act an anti aging tool, this antioxidant is also believed
to be useful in protecting against:
- Heart Disease—while all studies don’t
agree that ascorbic acid is beneficial to those with heart disease,
those who do believe it can help suggest that vitamin C protects
blood vessels from harmful effects that can lead to heart disease.
Some believe that those who have a low level of ascorbic acid
are more likely to develop atherosclerosis, or have a heart
attack or stroke. It is also believed that ascorbic acid helps
prevent LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) from oxidizing which
leads to plaque formation in the arteries.
- High Cholesterol—some studies have
suggested that those who take up to 2,000 mg of ascorbic acid
a day, in supplement form, have a possibility of lessening their
LDL cholesterol while increasing their HDL cholesterol (the
good kind).
- Alzheimer’s disease—some believe
that ascorbic acid, along with fellow antioxidant vitamin E,
has the power to help prevent the development of this ailment.
It is also thought to help improve the mental function of dementia
sufferers.
Ascorbic acid can be easily found in foods
such as green peppers, mangos, strawberries, potatoes, broccoli,
Brussels sprouts and many other fruits and vegetables. Although
better to receive you daily ascorbic acid requirements through food,
supplements are also a good source.
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