| Vitamin C is responsible for more than 300 purposes in | | | | stress hormones; however, prolonged stress depletes |
| your body, everything from being the top anti-oxidant, | | | | vitamin C in the adrenals and decreases the blood |
| producing collagen, keeping your immune system in top | | | | levels. Ascorbic acid also helps thyroid hormone |
| shape, curing some male infertility problems, lowering | | | | production, and it aids in cholesterol metabolism, |
| blood pressure and relieving stress. | | | | increasing its elimination and thereby assisting in |
| Vitamin C produces Collagen. Collagen is essentially | | | | lowering blood cholesterol. |
| the "adhesive" that holds your body together. It is the | | | | Vitamin C has also been shown to reduce blood |
| tissue that holds your muscles to your skeleton, your | | | | pressure particularly useful to those suffering from high |
| skin to your muscles, and keeps you together. This | | | | blood pressure as well as people that chose to use |
| may not mean much to you, but it also is needed to | | | | anabolic steroids where a raise in blood pressure is a |
| heal injuries faster. If Collagen will help heal sprained | | | | common symptom. OK so now you are thinking that |
| joints, broken bones, cuts, and other injuries, then would | | | | you could benefit from making a conscious effort to |
| it not make sense that it will mean a better and faster | | | | increase your vitamin C intake daily. So in what foods |
| muscle recovery after a workout? And what about all | | | | do we find Vitamin C ? It is found only in the fruit and |
| those days we are too sick to go to the gym? You | | | | vegetable foods and is highest in fresh, uncooked |
| miss training and often are not able to keep up your | | | | foods. Vitamin C is one of the least stable vitamins, |
| nutrition timetable due to illnesses. | | | | and cooking can destroy much of this water-soluble |
| Vitamin C is being shown through continued research | | | | vitamin from foods. |
| to stimulate the immune system; through this function, | | | | Vitamin C is a weak acid and is stable in weak acids. |
| along with its antioxidant function, it may help in the | | | | Alkalis, such as baking soda, however, destroy |
| prevention and treatment of infections and other | | | | ascorbic acid. It is also easily oxidized in air and |
| diseases. | | | | sensitive to heat and light. Since it is contained in the |
| Ascorbic acid may activate neutrophils, the most | | | | watery part of fruits and vegetables, it is easily lost |
| prevalent white blood cells that work on the frontline | | | | during cooking in water. Loss is minimized when |
| defence in more hand-to-hand combat than other | | | | vegetables such as broccoli or Brussels sprouts are |
| white blood cells. It also seems to increase production | | | | cooked over water in a double boiler instead of directly |
| of lymphocytes, the white cells important in antibody | | | | in water. The mineral copper, in the water or in the |
| production and in coordinating the cellular immune | | | | cookware, diminishes vitamin C content of foods. |
| functions. In this way also, C may be helpful against | | | | How much should I take ? The RDA is a mere 60mgs |
| bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases. In higher amounts, | | | | which in my opinion is too low for a normal person let |
| ascorbic acid may actually increase interferon | | | | alone and active bodybuilder that puts his or her body |
| production and thus activate the immune response to | | | | under much more stress than the average person. |
| viruses; it may also decrease the production of | | | | Many Doctors and nutritionists also think think that |
| histamine, thereby reducing immediate allergy potential. | | | | 60mg's is too low and tend to lean towards suggestion |
| Therefore it is easy to see how a high level of Vitamin | | | | 250-300 mgs. |
| C can help keep risk of illnesses down as well as | | | | remember we are still talking about the normal |
| helping to cure common illnesses such as the common | | | | average non weight trainer person. |
| cold or flu type symptoms. | | | | I think 1000-2000 mg's is a good place to start when |
| This can only mean extra days on the gym when you | | | | experimenting with Vit C amounts. You could try a little |
| would have been lying down losing muscle. | | | | more and see if you notice and difference in recovery. |
| Vitamin C stimulates adrenal function and the release | | | | Remember, Vitamin C is water soluble, so any extra |
| of norepinephrine and epinephrine (adrenaline), our | | | | will just wash out of your system with your fluids. |