Why is it beneficial to combine your routine with vitamin C?

Particular attention should be paid to the amount of vitamin C in the daily diet in autumn and spring, when the body is most vulnerable to colds. Both on its own and in combination with synergistic substances, it strengthens antioxidant protection, which translates into the proper functioning of the immune system and tissue protection. Compounds and substances of natural origin that can support the action of vitamin C include citrus rutin and rosehip extract.

1. Why is vitamin C so popular?
2. What form of vitamin C should you buy?

Why is vitamin C so popular?

Ever since Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling (1954) publicly signalled the great potential of vitamin C in the prevention and treatment of colds, this vitamin has been gaining popularity. It has attracted the interest of both doctors and scientists, and over time also lay people interested in health, food and nutrition.

Discoveries concerning the links between vitamin C and human immunity have led to its position stabilising among preparations supporting the body's immune functions. A number of supplements have appeared on the market for preparations supporting human nutrition, which can significantly facilitate the satisfaction of the daily requirement for ascorbic acid, i.e. vitamin C.

Importantly, the popularity of this vitamin is not solely due to its effects on immunity. It has also been proven that ascorbic acid is an important element in the collagen production process. This was first observed, albeit unknowingly, by James Lind, who thus became the first author of an experimental study in history (1747).

He noticed that giving citrus fruits to sailors suffering from scurvy (a connective tissue disease that manifested itself primarily as gingivitis) led to an improvement in their health. Thanks to its antioxidant and collagen synthesis-supporting properties, vitamin C has potential in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, among other things. This effect is particularly noticeable in people whose diet deviates from what is considered healthy.

What form of vitamin C should you buy?

When your diet does not provide adequate amounts of vitamin C, it is worth looking for supplements that can be easily consumed on a daily basis, without forcing yourself or setting reminders. When estimating your average daily intake of ascorbic acid, it is important to take into account that food preparation (cutting, peeling), especially thermal processing (cooking, baking) and storage logistics (preparing meals for two days) can lead to vitamin C losses of up to 90%. The finer the products are cut and the longer they are heated and stored, the greater the losses.

In addition, factors such as physical activity, smoking and certain chronic diseases can increase the demand for this compound. Vitamin C supplements are now available not only in the form of powder, tablets, capsules, effervescent tablets and shots, but also as lozenges.

The latter form seems to be particularly attractive as it allows for convenient dosing (250–1,000 mg of ascorbic acid in 1–4 tablets) and is sweet and sour, making it a valuable sugar-free snack. Thanks to the addition of rosehip extract and rutin, which occurs naturally in citrus fruits, the lozenges increase the availability of vitamin C to the body.