Vitamin C is perhaps the best known of all essential nutrients, with children already knowing it’s important for good health. Starting in the latter half of the 20th century it has been common knowledge that it is responsible for warding off a number of illnesses, and thus making sure we get it from the foods we eat is just prudent. L-ascorbic acid, the active form of the vitamin in the body, is just another identified nutrient to the average guy, but, to the scientific community, it is one of the most potent among all known antioxidants, in addition to its other physiological functions.

The word antioxidant is all too well known in recent years, but up to now remains quite an abstraction to the general populace. How does it help improve health exactly?

The human body has a complex defense mechanism, and part of this is the deployment of toxic substances at small amounts for the sole purpose of destroying harmful entities at the cellular level. These substances are the infamous free radicals, whose activities have proven effective against pathogenic microorganisms, but at the same time destructive to living cells. To keep their numbers in check, the body makes use of other compounds that program the death of free radicals following the latter’s completion of their permitted function.

While in the body’s employ, free radicals are one of the things the immune system can’t do without. The activities of cells in connection with the proper disposal of intracellular wastes, including bad bacteria, occur with the participation of free radicals. To sum it up, the cells consume the bacteria in an effort to rid of it, and the free radicals inside the cells complete the job. Another problem ensues when the cells are not capable of ridding of the free radicals they utilize.

Damage to the cells is no doubt what the mainstream press has associated free radicals with, but it can be more serious than that. The medical community is convince that free radicals are involved in the death of cells at an alarming rate, and even the modification of DNA, resulting in the formation and quick progression of certain diseases, such as cancer. This is the reason why the body needs the aid of antioxidant especially in times of stress when the capacity of the human body to deal with free radicals is significantly reduced.

The good news is that we have powerful antioxidants at our disposal. With our continued exposure to every day stress, intake of Vitamin C ensures cellular health by providing each cell an enhanced capability to act against free radicals. The ion of L-ascorbic acid known as ascorbate is the most reliable compound with antioxidant properties inasmuch as the human body has developed ways to effectively utilize it, even using this compound in the manufacture of other antioxidants. With that, getting your daily dose of Vitamin C should be at the top of your list of healthy habits.

Vitamin C is available in capsule or tablet forms in 250mg, 500mg, and 1000mg potency at your local or internet vitamin store. Always choose name brands of Vitamin C like Solaray to ensure quality and purity of the product you buy for better health.

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Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: Vitamin C, L ascorbic Acid, Boost the immune system