Foods Containing Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for human health. While the positive attributes of vitamin C have been known for centuries, research continues to find benefits of vitamin C, including cancer prevention, maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system and slowing down the onset of macular degeneration. Vitamin C is present in many foods, some common and some not.

History

Vitamin C was long known to prevent scurvy. Scurvy's symptoms include cracked and bleeding gums and mucus membranes, as well as spotty skin patches. Advanced and untreated cases of scurvy are fatal. It was common for sailors and pirates, who were deprived of fresh fruit, to suffer from scurvy.

Types

Foods that contain vitamin C are either derived from plants or animal sources. While many of the plants that contain it are hard to find at your local supermarket (Indian gooseberry, baobab), many are commonly eaten fruits and vegetables (passion fruit, papaya, strawberries). Animal sources mainly are found in the liver, so their appeal is limited. However, raw oysters do provide a good amount of vitamin C, along with other, more famous benefits.

Misconceptions

While the orange (and orange juice) have become the default plant source for vitamin C, they're not even in the top twenty. The top five plant sources of vitamin C are relatively obscure: kakadu plum, camu camu, rose hip, acerola and seabuckthorn. Even more common foods--blackcurrants, red peppers, parsley, kiwifruit, broccoli and Brussels sprouts--are higher in vitamin C than oranges and lemons.

Warning

As is the case with all vitamins and supplements, taking large doses of vitamin C can cause health problems. While vitamin C is nontoxic, and the body eliminates excess vitamin C through urine, ingesting too much can lead to gastrointestinal distress, namely, indigestion and diarrhea.

Theories/Speculation

While the exact daily requirement of vitamin C remains a hot topic of debate, many health practitioners recommend a higher dose than the current USDA recommended amount (currently 75 to 90mg per day). Nobel Prize laureate Linus Pauling made a career out of recommending high does of vitamin C for various biological reasons.

Resources

• United States Department of Agriculture