Vitamin C

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Basics

• Summary
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Learn More

• Specifics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

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Summary

Vitamins are substances that your body needs to grow and develop normally. Vitamin C is an antioxidant. It is important for your skin, bones, and connective tissue. It promotes healing and helps the body absorb iron.

Vitamin C comes from fruits and vegetables. Good sources include citrus, red and green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and greens. Some juices and cereals have added vitamin C.

Some people may need extra vitamin C:

• Pregnant/breastfeeding women
• Smokers
• People recovering from surgery
• Burn victims

Start Here

• Vitamin C (National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) Also in Spanish
• Vitamin C (Harvard School of Public Health)

Specifics

• Is It Possible to Take Too Much Vitamin C? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Ascorbic Acid (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Vitamin C-Based Gingival Depigmentation Versus Surgical Depigmentation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
• Article: Pharmacological Vitamin C-induced high H(2)O(2) generation mediates apoptotic cell death by...
• Article: A Comparison of the Electronic Properties of Selected Antioxidants Vitamin C,...
• Vitamin C -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Find a Nutrition Expert (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Food and Drug Administration
• Food and Nutrition Information Center
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements

Patient Handouts

• Scurvy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Vitamin C (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish