Do you have a hard time recovering from a workout? Do you also have swollen and painful joints, bleeding gums, and bruise easy? You may be deficient in vitamin C. Vitamin C is water-soluble and necessary for normal growth and development. Vitamin C does the following for the body:
Biosynthesis of collagen, L-carnitine, and certain neurotransmitters need vitamin C
Protein metabolism involves vitamin C
Vitamin C is an important antioxidant and regenerates other antioxidants in the body
Grows and repairs tissues including wounds, cartilage, bones, and teeth
Helps with blood pressure by strengthening the walls of the arteries
For men, vitamin C supports high levels of testosterone. Vitamin C lowers cortisol and bad cholesterol levels. It also lowers blood pressure. For both men and women, it helps us recover from a workout.
In the 1950s, Vince Gironda prescribed vitamin C to lower muscle soreness. Since then, studies suggest vitamin C has modest beneficial effects on recovery. Less muscle soreness allows you to continue training.
Another aspect to consider is its support to your immune system. Immune suppression follows intense training. This increases the incidence of sickness. Vitamin C reduces the onset of a cold by up to 50%. This means you can continue training.
Get your vitamin C from the following food sources:
Citrus (orangs, kiwi, lemon, grapefruit)
Bell peppers
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower)
White potatoes
People training hard may need supplementation. This enhances recovery and performance. That's why I use NSP Nutrition Vitamin C-500 Plus. It contains:
500mg of vitamin C (absorb acid)
36mg of calcium (carbonate) to improve vitamin C bioavailability
100mg of rose hips - an antioxidant that improves vitamin C bioavailability, strengthens the immune system, and reduces inflammation
100mg of rutin powder - a bioflavonoid that improves vitamin C bioavailability and blood flow, and reduces inflammation
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References
Office of Dietary Supplements; Vitamin C; U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH); https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Vitaminc-Healthprofessional/; Last updated 26 March 2021; Last accessed 18 April 2022.
School of Public Health; Vitamin C; Harvard T.H. Chan; https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-c/; Last updated March 2020; Last accessed 18 April 2022.
Roger Lockridge; Everything you Need to Know Vitamin C; https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/vitamin-c-the-vitamin-you-need-to-succeed.html; Published 28 December 2020; Last accessed 18 April 2022.
Li, Shan-Hua and Ji-Hye Ryu, Sook-Eun Park, Young-Suk Cho, Jong-Wan Park, Wang-Jae Lee, and Yang-Sook Chun; Vitamin C Supplementation Prevents Testosterone-Induced Hyperplasia of Rat Prostate by Down-Regulating HIF-1alpha; The Journal of Nutrition Biochemistry 21(9), 801-808; U.S. National Library of Medicine; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19716283/; Published September 2010; Last accessed 18 April 2022.
Robert Carver; Effects of Vitamin C on Testosterone; Total Men's Lifestyle; https://totalmenslifestyle.com/effects-of-vitamin-c-on-testosterone/; Published 3 April 2019; Last accessed 18 April 2022.
Thompson, D. and C. Williams, S.J. McGregor, C.W. Nicholas, F. McArdle, M.J. Jackson, and J.R. Powell; Prolonged Vitamin C Supplementation and Recovery from Demanding Exercise; International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 11(4), 466-481; U.S. National Library of Medicine; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11915781/; Published December 2001; Last accessed 18 April 2022.
NSP Nutrition; Vitamin C-500 Plus; https://nspnutrition.com/products/vitamin-c?_pos=1&_sid=4a08b56a7&_ss=r; Last accessed 18 April 2022.
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