Health

How to stay healthy in changing weather conditions

The weather can be unpredictable, especially in late winter. One day it might be sunny and warm, the next day it might be freezing and snowy. How does this changing weather affect your health and well-being? And what can ...

Health

Research reveals nutrition potential of budding bush food

A bush food staple could be the center of a new Indigenous industry, according to a University of Queensland researcher. Sera Susan Jacob from the ARC Centre for Uniquely Australian Foods has identified the properties and ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Kiwifruit can quickly improve mental health, suggests study

Kiwifruit has proven itself as a powerful mood booster and new research from the University of Otago has shown just how fast its effects can be. In a study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers found ...

Ophthalmology

Six ways to look after your eyes in 2024

The World Health Organization estimates that over 80% of all vision impairment around the world can be prevented and even cured. Reducing the risk of eye diseases involves adopting a combination of lifestyle changes, protective ...

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Vitamin C

Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of higher primate species, a small number of other mammalian species (notably guinea pigs and bats), a few species of birds, and some fish.

Ascorbate (an ion of ascorbic acid) is required for a range of essential metabolic reactions in all animals and plants. It is made internally by almost all organisms, humans being a notable exception. Deficiency in this vitamin causes scurvy in humans. It is also widely used as a food additive.

The pharmacophore of vitamin C is the ascorbate ion. In living organisms, ascorbate is an anti-oxidant, since it protects the body against oxidative stress, and is a cofactor in several vital enzymatic reactions.

Scurvy has been known since ancient times. People in many parts of the world assumed it was caused by a lack of fresh plant foods. The British Navy started giving sailors lime juice to prevent scurvy in 1795. Ascorbic acid was finally isolated by 1933 and synthesized in 1934. The uses and recommended daily intake of vitamin C are matters of on-going debate. A recent meta-analysis of 68 reliable antioxidant supplementation experiments involving a total of 232,606 individuals concluded that consuming additional ascorbate from supplements may not be as beneficial as thought.

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