Vitamin C: Wack or Fact?

Growing up in a close family, whenever anyone would get sick; everyone would get sick. My beautiful mother's solution to this predicament would be to force us to take vitamin C, claiming that it prevents people from getting sick and keeps them happy and smiling. This was a big claim and when my siblings and I were young, it would work like a charm. However, as they began to go to college and major in scientific fields, the claim of the affects of Vitamin C, was no longer believable. I was on the fence about who to believe so I wanted to do some in depth research. How does Vitamin C prevent you from getting sick? Can it actually do anything at all?

First thing first, what is Vitamin C? Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a vitamin that is involved in the repair of tissue and in the formation of cartilage, muscles, and collagen in bones. We need it for the protection against free radicals and helps your body absorb iron. There are a lot of food that naturally contain vitamin C which is good because everyone needs it! These foods include all citrus, berries, and potatoes! The daily recommended dosage is 90mg for men and 75mg for women. But be careful! If you take too much vitamin C it can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. However, vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy which is a severe vitamin c deficiency. So watch out!

Alright, with that being said, the first thing I thought to do to research the issue was a quick google search: "Can Vitamin C prevent colds?". Immediately, WebMd came to the rescue and said, matter of factly: no, of course not. This was a bit discouraging, because the Vitamin C misconception had caused many fights in the Edgington household, and I felt silly for not knowing that it could be solved with one simple google search. As I continued my search, there were many sources that supported the original claim of WebMd until I finally found something else. There was an article entitled Vitamin C and Immune Function and it did confirm the consensus of the other articles by saying that, for people without a Vitamin C deficiency, the supplement would do little to nothing. However, people with Vitamin C deficiencies have a very hard time fighting off colds and their colds are often much more severe. The article went on to say that, phagocytes and t-cells use vitamin C to enhance their resistance capabilities and without Vitamin C they are performing to their full capabilities. This article cleared up so much for me! I finally understood the method behind the madness that is my mother! I knew that there had to be some type of scientific reasoning because she has a background in science and even has her PhD in biochemistry. Now I will finally have an actual to present to my family the next time anyone gets sick!