Water Soluble Vitamins - Vitamin C
Dietary sources of vitamin C include fresh fruit and vegetables, especially spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, potatoes (due to the large amount consumed rather than high levels of vitamin C), strawberries, oranges and other citrus fruit. The vitamin C is sensitive to ageing of the produce and also to the cooking process.
Vitamin C is actively absorbed by the intestine and circulates to all cells, with excess being excreted by the kidney, in the urine. It is an antioxidant and plays roles in the synthesis of collagen (a structural protein in the skin, maintaining elasticity) and carnitine (the molecule responsible for transporting fat into the cellular organelle where it is oxidised). It may also play a role in the immune system, although the effects on reducing the length of or even preventing the common cold are still equivocal.
The deficiency disease scurvy is well characterised, with symptoms including poor wound healing and swollen gums, bone pain and weakness and haemorrhaging through the skin. This may result in chronic dietary insufficiency or in malabsorption syndromes and alcoholism. This can usually be treated by dietary manipulation and supplementation. Smokers and those under stress may be more at risk of vitamin C deficiency.
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