Vitamin C
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) may be used to prevent low body levels (deficiency) of this vitamin. Ascorbic acid is needed to maintain the health of skin, cartilage, teeth, and blood vessels, and to promote proper bone growth. Most people who eat a normal diet do not need extra ascorbic acid.
Vitamin C deficiency may occur in certain health conditions (e.g., poor nutrition, diet lacking citrus fruit/vegetables, alcoholism). Serious ascorbic acid deficiency may cause a condition called scurvy, resulting in bleeding problems, tooth loss, and heart problems, among others. It is also used to help preserve the health of body cells (as an antioxidant).
Vitamin C deficiency may occur in certain health conditions (e.g., poor nutrition, diet lacking citrus fruit/vegetables, alcoholism). Serious ascorbic acid deficiency may cause a condition called scurvy, resulting in bleeding problems, tooth loss, and heart problems, among others. It is also used to help preserve the health of body cells (as an antioxidant).
Ascorbic acid plays a more critical role in maintaining good health if you are a person with diabetes than with perhaps any other disorder except a major viral illness. It combats, through potent antioxidant protection, the constant assault on your tissues that high blood sugar causes, strengthens the integrity of small blood vessels (where so much of the damage of diabetes occurs), improves carbohydrate tolerance, and reduces the "bad" kind of cholesterol and triglycerides (another blood fat).
Info credits: Wikipedia, WebMD & ISN.net; Photo credit: Wikipedia, PartsnPieces on Flickr
