Women across the world play multiple roles to adapt to the modern way of living in the society today. While they continue to juggle to do their best in the personal and professional front, one thing that often gets ignored is their health. Women tend to miss out on some of the most beneficial supplements in the daily grind, also, due to lack of awareness about their benefits.

Take, Vitamin C, for instance, the immunity boosting, and often misunderstood vitamin. It is water soluble, hence, your body cannot store it. This is precisely why you need to consume it every day through food and other supplements, for it to have the required effect in the body. Dietary recommendations for Vitamin C are often not met because of poor lifestyle, various diseases, smoking, alcohol, or drug abuse.

Now, while most properties of Vitamin C help both genders the same, especially in boosting immunity, there are some that work particularly well for women. As women multi-task around the clock, lead hectic lifestyles and often fall prey to many lifestyle diseases, supplements like Vitamin C balance what their diets could be missing, let’s take a closer look at the advantages of Vitamin C for women.

An antioxidant essential for collagen production

This water-soluble nutrient acts a powerful antioxidant is needed for the development and maintenance of arterioles, scar tissues and cartilage. Collagen is a substance that is naturally produced by the body. However, the production of this substance diminishes as people grow older. Vitamin C plays an integral part in the production of collagen which therefore decreases wrinkles and the symptoms and signs of aging.
During pregnancy and lactation

Due to the needs of the developing foetus and the growing infant, vitamin C requirements are enhanced for pregnant and lactating women. The Vitamin C status of pregnant women is often lower than non-pregnant women, presumably due to active transfer of Vitamin C to the foetus. Women with complications of pregnancy can have much lower vitamin C status l. Supplementation of pregnant women with Vitamin C can potentially decrease the risk of pregnancy-related complications.

For stress and hypertension

Stress can affect various processes in the body like hormone production, the menstrual cycle, and fertility in women and men as well as digestion and immune function. When your body is exposed to stressful stimuli, the body makes the body makes it the priority over many other important processes. Vitamin C helps in dealing with typical indicators of physical and emotional stress. It also decreases the level of stress hormones. Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women but is often underestimated and undiagnosed. Incidences of abnormally high blood pressure can be lowered by the regular intake of Vitamin C.

Increase in iron absorption

Vitamin C supplements can help improve the absorption of iron from the diet. Vitamin C assists in converting iron that is poorly absorbed, such as plant-based sources of iron, into a form that is easier to absorb. As a result, it may help reduce the risk of anaemia among people prone to iron deficiency. Lowers the risk of heart disease

Vitamin C supplements have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease. These supplements may reduce the impact of known risk factors for heart disease such as high blood levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides.

Menstrual flow regulation

Vitamin C can elevate your estrogen levels and lower progesterone levels. This causes the uterus to contract and the lining of the uterus to break down, leading to the onset of menstruation.

Recommended Dietary Allowance

The daily intake of Vitamin C depends on the country you are residing in. In India, you need 65-115 mg of Vitamin C depending on your age.
Girls 13 to 15 years
66 mg/day
Girls 16-18 years
68 mg/day
Women
65 mg/day
Pregnant women
80 mg/day
Breastfeeding women
115 mg/day
How should you be getting your Vitamin C?
Citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato juice, and potatoes are major contributors of Vitamin C. Other good food sources include red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe. Not all fruits and vegetables have equal levels of Vitamin C. For instance, bananas and apples are quite low in Vitamin C whereas oranges, strawberries, tomato, kiwi have a higher content. Vitamin C supplements are available as tablets, capsules, chewable tablets, gummies, and effervescent tablets. Not all Vitamin C supplements are created equal. To better ensure quality and safety, choose supplements that have been tested and certified by an authorised certifying body, such as the FSSAI (The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India).

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that must be obtained from the diet or supplements. Vitamin C plays an important role in strengthening your immune system thus enabling you to lead a healthy life. By Dr. Sushila Kataria, Senior Director, Internal Medicine, Medanta