By Sarah Anderson
It a common misconception that Vitamin C only prevents the common cold, studies show that people who have high levels of Vitamin C do not show the expected mental and physical signs of stress when subjected to high pressure situations, while people with low levels of Vitamin C in their blood tend to display more emotional reactions to stressful situations.
Case Study
Researchers in Germany created a high stress situation and recorded how 120 individuals reacted to it in a 2002 study. The task combined public speaking with complicated math problems. Half of the individuals studied were given 1,000 mg of Vitamin C; the other half did not receive any supplements. Signs of stress, high blood pressure and increased levels of the stress hormone Cortisol, a hormone released by the adrenal glands in response to stress, were significantly greater in those who did not get the vitamin supplement. Those who received Vitamin C reported that they felt less stressed when they got the vitamin.
The researchers believe that Vitamin C should be considered an essential part of stress management. Earlier studies showed that Vitamin C eliminated secretion of Cortisol in animals that had been subjected to repeated stress. Once in the bloodstream, Cortisol is responsible for relaying the news of stress to all parts of the body and mind and triggering the ‘fight or flight’ response to stress that prepares our bodies for action when we sense fear.
Stress Effects
Frequent exposure to high levels of stress hormones drain the body's physical resources, impair learning and memory, and make people susceptible to depression. In the earlier animal studies, Vitamin C fed to rats undergoing stress prevented the expected increase in Cortisol levels, as well as preventing the animals from exhibiting the known signs of physical and emotional stress, including loss of body weight. The animals that did not receive Vitamin C showed stress hormone levels in the blood three times greater than those that had taken the supplement.
Recommendations
The current recommended daily allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C in adults is 60 mg, which makes current researchers believe that the RDA for Vitamin C is immensely outdated, compared to the 1,000 mg found in the German stress study. But the current RDA for Vitamin C was set decades ago and was based on the amount of the vitamin needed to ward off scurvy. Currently, it is the belief that the amount of Vitamin C needed to promote health varies among environmental conditions, and appears to be a lot greater than the amount needed to prevent deficiencies.
Where to Find Vitamin C
Vitamin C can be found in most fresh, uncooked fruits and vegetables. Citrus fruits, red and green peppers contain the highest amounts of Vitamin C. One 8 oz glass of fresh orange juice provides 97 mg, more than the recommended daily allowance. Vitamin C is also found in papayas, cantaloupes, strawberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, asparagus and parsley. Vitamin C is not found in animal food and only a trace amount in raw fish.
Vitamin C is destroyed by cooking and exposure of food to light. As the most commonly consumed nutritional supplement,Vitamin C comes in many formulations. The best supplements are time-released, as the vitamin works rapidly and the effects are temporary.
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References : Psychology Today: October 2, 2002
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