Vitamin C and health
Section: TEACHING TO LEARN
Authors
1María José Cao Torija, 2María José Castro Alija, 3Inés María Sanz Cao
Position
1Enfermera. Máster en Nutrición y Dietética Clínica. Profesora titular de Nutrición. Escuela de Enfermería. Universidad de Valladolid.2Médica. Máster en Nutrición y Dietética Clínica. Profesora de Dietética. Diplomatura en Nutrición. IEN (Instituto de Endocrinología y Nutrición). Facultad de Medicina. Universidad de Valladolid.3Diplomada en Trabajo Social.
Contact address
Departamento de Enfermería. Ciencias de la Salud. C/ Ramón y Cajal, 7. 47005 Valladolid.
Contact email: mjcao@enf.uva.es
Abstract
Vitamin C is involved in several processes that directly influence the state of the health of the individual.
Vitamins C, E and betakarotene (provitamin A) form the large 3-element antioxidant group that nature has given us to neutralise the action of free radicals.
It has also been suggested that ascorbic acid (vitamin C) may interact with free radicals urate or tocopheryl to regenerate the reduced species of each of them. Thus, vitamin C would act as an antioxidant on its own, as regenerator of other physiological antioxidants, for example, vitamin E (tocopherol).
An antioxidant is a substance that delays or prevents the deterioration, damage or destruction caused by oxidation. Oxidation is the actual source of all our energy and consequently out bodies could not function without it, but in other cases, when free radicals cause cell damage, they are far from being useful to us, and it is here where antioxidants come into play.
As an antioxidant vitamin C works together with vitamin E: whereas the latter protects cell membranes, vitamin C acts on body fluids; when both these vitamins are present, their antioxidant activity is complemented and it is greater than when they act apart.
Keywords:
antioxidantsvitamin C
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