chromo -v A GUIDE TO GET A VITAMIC BODY
SUMMER | 2013 MAGAZINE ABOUT FOOD | VITAMIN C
INTRODUCTION There are lots of reasons why we should eat more vitamin c - not at least because it’s healthy and delicious! but also have so much benefits for even our hair and skin. enjoy the freshest flavours and look forward to juicy with this special colourful magazine. this magazine gives you a deeper introduction of vitamin c from what we only know it is an essential nutrient and healthy! Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, in which it functions as a vitamin. Ascorbate (an ion of ascorbic acid) is required for a range of essential metabolic reactions in all animals and plants. It is made internally by almost all organisms; notable mammalian exceptions are most or all of the order chiroptera (bats), and the entire suborder Anthropoidea (Haplorrhini) (tarsiers, monkeys and apes). It is also needed by guinea pigs and some species of birds and fish. Deficiency in this vitamin causes the disease 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 anti-oxidant, since it protects the body against oxidative stress, and is a cofactor in several vital enzymatic reactions. Ascorbic acid was finally isolated in 1933 and synthesized in 1934. The uses and recommended daily intake of vitamin C are matters of on-going debate, with RDI ranging from 45 to 95 mg/day. Proponents of megadosage propose from 200 to upwards of 2000 mg/day. 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. Vitamin C is purely the L-enantiomer of ascorbate; the opposite D-enantiomer has no physiological significance. Both forms are mirror images of the same molecular structure. When L-ascorbate, which is a strong reducing agent, carries out its reducing function, it is converted to its oxidized form, L-dehydroascorbate.
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What is Vitamin C? CHROMO-V | ISSUE #01 | VITAMIN C
VITAMIN C IS A WAT ER - S O L U BLE VITAMIN, OUR BODY DO ESN’T STORE IT !
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BENEFIT OF VITAMIN C
“Apro-oxidant, meaning it is easily absorbed into our systems It accelerates the healing of our skin. It decelerates the degeneration of our immune cells.” Vitamin C is one of the safest and most effective nutrients, experts say. It may not be the cure for the common cold (though it’s thought to help prevent more serious complications). But the benefits of vitamin C may include protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling. A recent study published in Seminars in Preventive and Alternative Medicine that looked at over 100 studies over 10 years revealed a growing list of benefits of vitamin C. “Vitamin C has received a great deal of attention, and with good reason. Higher blood levels of vitamin C may be the ideal nutrition marker for overall health,” says study researcher Mark Moyad, MD, MPH, of the University of Michigan. “The more we study vitamin C, the better our understanding of how diverse it is in protecting our health, from cardiovascular, cancer, stroke, eye health [and] immunity to living longer.” “But,” Moyad notes, “the ideal dosage may be higher than the recommended dietary allowance.” “It helps to clear our bodies of pollutants such as carbon monoxide, pesticide, carbon dioxide and other toxins. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an antioxidant. It has helps to fight off cardiovascular disease, hypertension and chronic inflammatory diseases, and it helps strengthen our bodies.”
CHROMO-V | ISSUE #01 | VITAMIN C
A variety of symptoms will show that an individual is suffering from a vitamin C deficiency. Here are some of the top signs of this kind of shortage in the system.
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SUFFERING AMIN I E N
1. An adequate dietary intake of vitamin C is essen tial. 2. Around 90% of vitamin C in the diet comes from fuit and vegetables. Cooking reduces vitamin C content by 30-40%. 3. The recommended daily intake of vitamin C in the diet
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depends on age and sex. 4. UK Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom suggest that the recommended nutrient intake for children aged 1-10 is 30 mg/ day, children aged 11-14 is 35 mg/day
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and children aged over 15 and adults is 40 mg/day. 5. Recommended nutrient intakes increase in pregnancy to 50 mg/day in the last trimester of pregnancy and, during lactation, to 70 mg/day. 6. As a rough guide,
one large orange will provide the recommended daily intake of vitamin C for an average adult.
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HISTORY OF VITAMIN C
The need to include fresh plant food or raw animal flesh in the diet to prevent disease was known from ancient times. Native peoples living in marginal areas incorporated this into their medicinal lore. For example, spruce needles were used in temperate zones in infusions, or the leaves from species of drought-resistant trees in desert areas. In 1536, the French explorer Jacques Cartier, exploring the St. Lawrence River, used the local natives' knowledge to save his men who were dying of scurvy. He boiled the needles of the arbor vitae tree to make a tea that was later shown to contain 50 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams Throughout history, the benefit of plant food to survive long sea voyages has been occasionally recommended by authorities. John Woodall, the first appointed surgeon to the British East India Company, recommended the preventive and curative use of lemon juice in his book “The Surgeon’s Mate”,in 1617. While the earliest documented case of scurvy was described by Hippocrates around the year 400 BC, the first attempt to give scientific basis for the cause of this disease was by a ship’s surgeon in the British Royal Navy, James Lind. Scurvy was common among those with poor access to fresh fruit and vegetables, such as remote, isolated sailors and soldiers. While at sea in May 1747.
“Scurvy is solely owing to a total abstinence from fresh vegetable food, and greens; which is alone the primary cause of the disease.” CHROMO-V | ISSUE #01 | VITAMIN C
PEOPLE MUST GET THIS VITAMIN FROM FOOD AND OTHER SOURCES!
W h a t is Vitamin C?
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DAILY INTAKE OF VITAMIN C
The recommended daily intake by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine for men more than 18 years old is 90 milligrams daily; for women more than 18 years old, it is 75 milligrams daily; for pregnant women more than 18 years old, it is 85 milligrams daily; and for breastfeeding women more than 18 years old, it is 120 milligrams daily. Recently, some experts have questioned whether the recommended daily intake should be raised. Others have recommended higher intake in some individuals, such as smokers, in whom an additional 35 milligrams daily has been recommended by some. The upper limit of intake (UL) should not exceed 2,000 milligrams daily in men or women more than 18 years old (including pregnant or breastfeeding women). Vitamin C administered by mouth or injection is effective for curing scurvy. In adults, 100-250 milligrams by mouth four times daily for one week is generally sufficient to improve symptoms and replenish body vitamin C stores. Some experts have recommended 1-2 grams daily for two days, followed by 500 milligrams daily for one week. Symptoms should begin to improve within 24-48 hours, with resolution within seven days. Treatment should be under strict medical supervision. For asymptomatic vitamin C deficiency, lower daily doses may be used. For treating the common cold, 1-3 grams daily has been used. For preventing the common cold in people under physical stress, 600-1,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily has been used. During acute stress, one gram of vitamin C three times daily, as a sustained-release preparation, has been used for up to 14 days. For preventing contrast-mediated nephropathy, three grams of vitamin C is given before coronary angiography and then two grams is given after the procedure, in the evening and again the following morning. For chronic hemodialysis in adults, 100-200 milligrams daily has been used.
The recommended daily intake by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine for infants 0-12 months old is human milk content (older recommendations specified 30-35 milligrams); for children 1-3 years old, it is 15 milligrams; for children 4-8 years old, it is 25 milligrams; for children 9-13 years old, it is 45 milligrams; and for adolescents 14-18 years old, it is 75 milligrams for boys and 65 milligrams for girls. The tolerable upper intake levels (UL) for vitamin C are 400 milligrams daily for children 1-3 years old; 650 milligrams daily for children 4-8 years old; 1,200 milligrams daily for children 9-13 years old; and 1,800 milligrams daily for adolescents and pregnant and lactating women 14-18 years old.
CHROMO-V | ISSUE #01 | VITAMIN C
VITAMIN C & HAIR LOSS
vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning that your body does not store it. Vitamin C provides many benefits for your body, one of which includes helping to treat and prevent hair loss.
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ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES Vitamin C holds antioxidant properties, similar to vitamin E and zinc. Antioxidants are responsible for reducing damage that free radicals may cause. Free radicals form when your body converts food into energy. They may harm your hair, possibly turning it brittle or weak.
VITAMIN C DEFICIENCY & HAIR LOSS Low intake of vitamin C in your diet may result in dry or splitting hair, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Although hair loss isn't directly associated with a vitamin C deficiency, dry and splitting hair from a vitamin C deficiency may make your hair prone to hair loss and other hair-related conditions.
FOOD SOURCES & DAILY INTAKE Vitamin C is found in a variety of food products such as cauliflower, turnip greens, mango, strawberries, green peppers, spinach, blueberries, tomatoes, papaya, oranges, kiwi, pineapples and winter squashes, according to MedlinePlus.
VITAMIC C ALSO AN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENT THAT HELPS YOUR BODY GROW AND DEVELOP PROPERLY.
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TIPS FOR HER/ HIM
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and is only retained in the body for a maximum of 4 hours before it is either oxidised or excreted in the urine, so Vitamin C overdose is uncommon. Because of this short life in the body it is best to take Vitamin C in small, divided doses throughout the day (at 4 hourly intervals). The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for Vitamin C is 45-60mg per day. This is the smallest amount needed to prevent a life threatening disease; in the case of Vitamin C this is Scurvy. This amount, however, is certainly not the optimal amount needed for good health, this is 300mg-500mg daily depending on diet and lifestyle. Things that can increase the need for Vitamin C supplementation are poor diet, eating processed or stored foods, pollution, toxic substances especially nicotine (each cigarette smoked depletes the body of 25mg of Vitamin C), DDT, stress, antibiotics, sulfa drugs, cortisone, aspirin, The Contraceptive Pill. Under any of the above circumstances a more suitable dose would be 1000mg-2000mg daily. If an acute infection or inflammatory condition is being experienced such as a cold, flu or hay fever, increase the dosage to 1000mg every hour for six doses then 1000mg every 4 hours until symptoms improve. Vitamin C overdose is extremely rare. Vitamin C is very safe to take as if too much Vitamin C is taken any excess will be excreted in the urine or as acid diarrhoea. Bear in mind this will only happen with very large, frequent doses. If this does occur reduce the dosage to a level where diarrhoea is not experienced.
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He absolutely loves McDonald's and the first day he was here he had eight bananas!
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CHROMO-V | ISSUE #01 | VITAMIN C
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#01 DESIGNED BY PRISCILLA CHAN N K GRAPHIC ARTS | YEAR 2