Vitamin C
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an anti-oxidant and acts as a catalyst in collagen synthesis. A diet lacking in Vitamin C leads to the development of a disease known as scurvy (although this is not a problem today as most people have enough Vitamin C from daily foods).
Most mammals generate Vitamin C in the liver. Human beings cannot synthesize this vitamin because they lack the enzyme l-gulonolactone oxidase. We must thus obtain the vitamin by consuming Vitamin C rich foods such as plums, oranges, cherries, guava, kale, kiwis, lemons, broccoli, lychees, strawberries etc. or Vitamin C based food supplements. Amla (Gooseberry) is reported to contain nearly 20 times more vitamin C than oranges. Amla is an important ingredient of the traditional Indian Ayurvedic health supplement called Chyawanprash. Animal-sourced foods do not provide much Vitamin C and this too is largely destroyed by the heat of cooking. Through history, British sailors used Vitamin C rich foods such as lemon juice, oranges, salted cabbages on voyages of exploration to prevent diseases.
Vitamin C contributes to immune defense by supporting various cellular functions and fighting viral infections. Furthermore, supplementation with Vitamin C appears to be able to both prevent and treat respiratory and systemic infections. Although Vitamin C supplements have no effect on the risk of catching a cold, they appear to reduce its severity and duration. Some indications of lack of Vitamin C are rough, bumpy, dry skin, slowly healing wounds, painful, swollen joints.
Many people worldwide drink hot lemon water in the morning. The juice of one lemon provides about 18.6 milligrams of Vitamin C (the recommended daily amount of Vitamin C for adults is 65 to 90 milligrams).
Taking Vitamin C in liquid form is important in the summer when we get more dehydrated than usual. Japan has a long tradition of consuming Vitamin C drinks which are widely available in vending machines, convenience stores etc. There is a good range of Vitamin C products such as collagen pre-mix, probiotic collagen drink, Vitamin C+D drink available in Nizen – Japan brand too.