Vitamin C is one of the best-known nutrients. This water-soluble vitamin is found in a wide variety of foods, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, citrus fruits, papayas, potatoes, strawberries, and winter squash.

It acts as a powerful antioxidant, depleting the energy-driver adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in cancer cells and helping to rid the body’s cells of harmful free radicals. It’s a necessary component for making collagen, a structural protein in bones and skin that also plays an important role in helping wounds heal.

​

Because your body doesn’t produce its own vitamin C — meaning it’s an essential nutrient — you need to get it from your diet or from supplements. Most people get enough of the vitamin from their diet, so a deficiency is usually seen only in people who:

• Smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke

• Have a limited diet without enough fruits and vegetables

• Have certain GI conditions or certain types of cancer

 

Severe vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy, a disease that causes anemia, bruising, bleeding gums, and poor wound healing. Fun fact: British sailors got the nickname “limeys” because, after they discovered the importance of vitamin C, they would carry limes onboard their ships to prevent scurvy.

The recommended daily allowance for vitamin C is 90 mg for adult men and 75 mg for adult women. Because it’s water-soluble, your body doesn’t store any excess, but rather excretes it in the urine. That means you constantly need to refresh the supply.