Vitamin C Gives You Increased Energy with the Right Amount

What is Vitamin C?
Our body uses vitamins for many vital processes essential for overall healthy growth and well-being. Amounts that fall below what is needed to maintain these processes can impair biological functions and our health. Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) has many important roles in our body, and is responsible for things such as the quality of our oral health, teeth, gums & bones; it helps our body resist infections; it helps with tissue and scar healing. [1] Thus, just like all the other vitamins our body needs to function properly, vitamin C is essential to maintain our overall health and well-being.

​Notably, vitamins cannot be made by the body or cannot be made in large enough amounts, which is why having these nutrients on a regular basis through diet and supplementation is important. [2] With vitamin C specifically, taking in large enough amounts provides our body with many benefits [1] [2] [3] [4] and one of the least knowm benefits is vitamim C's ability to act as a safe and effective energy supplement. [3] [4]

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How Does Vitamin C Act in the Body?
​Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant, meaning that it slows down or stops cell oxidation in the body. [1] Furthermore, vitamin C is heavily involved in the flow of electricity in the body; more vitamin C improves the flow of electricity in the body, which in turn improves cell communication and processes, [1] and the energy boost it can provide might be due to these process improvements.

Vitamin C is an often misunderstood and underrated vitamin of choice, and in fact the amount recommended for daily intake is nowhere near the daily amounts that are needed to for its therapeutic effects. [1] In order to see the beneficial effects, such as increases in energy [3] [4], a proper amount needs to be taken, also know as “opti-dosing”. [1] Opti-dosing can only be achieved when vitamin C is taken through supplementation, since it does not exist in high enough amounts in today’s food supply sources. To date, no evidence has demonstrated that it is dangerous to take the opti-doses required to achieve therapeutic effects, [1] for example, to achieve increased energy levels. [4]

Why Choose Vitamin C to Increase Energy?
When you increase your daily intake of vitamin C for an energy boost, you also will receive the other health benefits of this amazing nutrient, such as increased immunity and overall improved well-being. [1] [2] [4] Another appealing aspect is the fact that vitamin C is a relatively inexpensive option when compared to other supplements.

How Much Do I Need for Increased Energy?
The current recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 60 mg/day, a value well below the actual amount needed to achieve an energy increase. [1] [2] Dr. Linus Pauling, a two-time Nobel Prize winner, was an advocate for Vitamin C opti-dosing to achieve optimal health and recommended taking anywhere between 1,000 mg to 18,000 mg of vitamin C per day, [2] while Dr. Thomas Levy, another expert in the area, suggests anywhere between 6,000 – 18,000 mg per day for adults. [1] The exact amount each person needs varies and is determined by a process called a bowel tolerance test [1] [2] During this test, an individual increases their vitamin C intake over a short period of time until they reach diarrhea. [1] The daily intake for vitamin C is then calculated based on the value that produced diarrhea. [1]

Natural Food sources
Whole food sources should also be included into your diet for added nutritional profiles, but note that typical serving sizes for each food source does not contain close to the needed amount for vitamin C opti-dosing. This is why there needs to be both whole food sources and supplementation for vitamin C.

• Acerola fruit
• Aloe vera juice
• Black currant
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Capsicum
• Cauliflower
• Citrus fruits,
• Collards
• Guava
• Kale
• Mango
• Papayas
• Parsley
• Strawberries
• Sweet peppers
• Tomatoes

Vitamin C is indeed a very powerful supplement, and when used properly, can lead to a variety of different health benefits including increased energy levels.

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References
[1] T. E. Levy, Curing The Incurable. Vitamin C, Infectious Disease and Toxins, MedFox Publishing, 2011.
[2] L. Pauling, How to Live Longer and Feel Better, New York: Oregon State University Press, 1986.
[3] V. Free and P. Sanders, "The Use of Ascorbic Acid and Mineral Supplements in the Detoxification of Narcotic Addicts," ORTHOMOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 264-270, 1978.
[4] E. Cheraskin, "Vitamin C and Fatigue," Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, vol. 9, no. 1, 1994.