Transcript Vitamin C

Vitamin C
Lily Chin
Nikita Gupta
Shirley He
Brenda Wong
Vitamin C
Ascorbic Acid
 water soluble
 helps to synthesize collagen,
norepinephrine, and carnitine
 Antioxidant
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Vitamin C
Function in the Body
Collagen –important part of blood
vessels, ligaments, tendons and bone
 Norepinephrine/noradrenaline –
neurotransmitter that affects mood and
brain function
 Carnitine – small molecule essential to
transport of fat to mitochondria where fat
is turned into energy
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Vitamin C Deficiency
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can occur from
a diet low in vitamin C (not enough fresh
fruits and vegetables)
 cooking food (destroys vitamin C)
 pregnancy, breastfeeding, surgery, and
smoking increases the body's requirements
for vitamin C, which increases the risk of
deficiency
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Severe Deficiency
can lead to scurvy
 causes bruising
 swollen gums and loss of teeth
 dry hair and skin
 Anemia
 wounds no longer heal
 impairs bone growth in young children
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Deficiency Symptoms
fatigue, irritability
 Depression
 weight loss
 muscle/joint pain
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Treatment
high doses of daily vitamin C
 supplements symptoms disappear after
1-2 weeks
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Vitamin C Toxicity/Statistics
Body does not store vitamin C
 Therefore vitamin C is rare
 If you consume more than 200 mg a day,
you have:
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Stomach ache
 Diarrhea
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Fun Fact
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To avoid Vitamin C overdose, do not
drink a full bottle of naked juice. Some
flavors contain over 400% of your daily
recommended intake, which is 8000 mg
a day.
Top 10 Food Sources
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Guava
Red sweet pepper
Kiwi
Orange
Green sweet pepper
Grapefruit Juice
Vegetable Juice Cocktail
Strawberries
Brussels Sprouts
Cantaloupe
Good Food Sources of Vitamin C
Substantial amount of vitamin C in
relation to its calorie content
 Contributes at least 10% of the U.S.
RDA
 U.S. RDA for Vitamin C is 60 mg/day
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Food Sources
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Vitamin C can be lost from food during
preparation, cooking, storage. To retain
Vitamin C:
Serve fruits and vegetables raw
 Steam, boil food with minimum water
 Cook potatoes in their skin
 Refrigerate prepared juices
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Bibliography
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vita
mins/vitaminC/
 Benjah-bmm27
 http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/c
h154/ch154i.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency
/article/002404.htm
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