See what vitamin C can do for your eyesight

Vitamin C is a busy vitamin. This water-soluble vitamin, which our body does not store, has many functions keeping our body healthy. From promoting healthy capillaries, gums, teeth, cartilage to enhancing the absorption of iron, almost all cells of the body depend on this nutrient also known as ascorbic acid.

Before it was discovered, Vitamin C has an interesting and rich history. Back in the early eighteenth century, seafarers who traveled for months at a time over the ocean knew that fresh vegetables and fruits – especially citrus fruits – could cure scurvy, which is the deficiency disease of vitamin C.

Today, we now know far more about this vitamin and the vital role it plays in maintaining our body. One part of our body that clearly cannot do without this precious vitamin is our eyes. Vitamin C plays an important role in supporting the health of blood vessels leading to our eyes and is critical for maintaining good eye health.

There are two conditions affecting our eyes in which vitamin C can help reduce at least the progression if not possibly preventing them from occurring. One is age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and the other is cataracts.

Vitamin C and AMD

Linking the benefits of vitamin C to age-related macular degeneration was the landmark Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). AMD is the leading cause of vision loss, affecting more than 10 million Americans which is more than cataracts and glaucoma combined. This incurable eye disease is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, known as the macula, responsible for focusing central vision in the eye which controls our ability to read, drive a car, and recognize faces or colors.

The AREDS research discovered that people at high risk for the disease who took 500 milligrams a day of vitamin C, along with beta-carotene, vitamin E and zinc supplements, slowed the progression of advanced AMD by about 25 percent and reduced visual acuity loss by 19 percent.

Vitamin C and Cataracts

Cataracts are a leading cause of reduced vision in the U.S. With age, almost everyone will experience cataracts to some degree.

Numerous studies have linked vitamin C intake and reduced risk of cataracts. In one study, women taking vitamin C for 10 years or more experienced a 64 percent reduction in the risk of developing nuclear cataracts. Researchers estimate that by delaying the onset of cataracts for 10 years, half of cataract-related surgeries could be avoided.

What is the Recommended Daily Intake for Vitamin C?

The current recommendation from the Dietary Reference Intake for vitamin C is that men need 90 mg/day while women require 75 mg/day.

However, people under stress need more vitamin C than the recommended daily allowance. These groups include people who smoke, alcoholics, people with diabetes, pregnant or breastfeeding women, older adults, athletes, and people with chronic disease who experience stress from heat, cold, or radiation. The highest safest level or what is known as the Tolerable Upper Intake for vitamin C is no more than 2000 mg/day. Any amount higher than that could result in diarrhea, bright yellow urine and could skew the results from a urinalysis test.

Keep in mind that our body does not store vitamin C. Therefore, any amount you may take in a supplement form that the body doesn’t have a use for, will be routed to the kidneys which filter out any unnecessary substances like excess vitamin C to be disposed of in our urine.

Best food sources of vitamin C

The very best way to obtain vitamin C is by eating food sources rich in this nutrient. Fortunately, there are many excellent sources of this vitamin to choose from. It is recommended to eat foods high in vitamin C as opposed to getting them mainly from a supplement. The various components with food along with the vitamin C content has a much better protective effect against AMD and cataract progression than simply taking a supplement by itself.

Vitamin C is found almost exclusively in fruits and vegetables. The best sources of it are listed below:

· All citrus fruits and their juices– oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes

· Green and red peppers

· Collard greens

· Broccoli

· Spinach

· Tomatoes

· Potatoes

· All berries but especially strawberries

· Kiwi fruit