Journal Abm0raz's Journal: fun facts 2
So, I was looking up "scurvy" (because as many of you have read, I have an allergy to vitamin C). I take a required amount each week in very small doses , Usually in the form of raw spinich, non-boiled potatoes (baked, usually), or brocolli. Sometimes in the form of a Sprite or small glass of juice (orange, grape, apple, or lemonade).
Fun facts about Vitamin C:
1. Vitamin C absorbs and removes free radicals from body. It protects cells and DNA from unwanted damage. Basically, it helps prevent cancer, tumors, and mutations.
2. It is also the required catalyst to create the triple-helix foundation of collegen, the connecting agent for all cellular bonds. Collegen contains a specific common amino acid every 3 links, but has 2 other amino acids not found in any other proteins. The Vit. C performs the job of connecting these acids in the chain. Without Vit C, underformed collegens are manufactured with melting points well below the temp of normal collegen. This leads to cellular breakdown (scurvy).
3. It takes upwards of 5 months of no vitamin C for scurvy to manifeset itself, but 2-7 days of drinking a single 6oz glass of orange juice a day to completely cure it. Signs of scurvy are aching joints, red spots around hair follicals, bleeding gums, excessive cavities, dry/flaking/peeling skin, swelling around bones, excessive bruising, fever.
4. Primates and Guinea pigs are the only mammals that CANNOT make Vitamin C on their own. All other animals have an enzyme that breaks carbohydrates down into vitamin C. Maybe this is the missing link to the low-carb diets?
5. Common foods containing vitamin C: Citrus (duh), Berries (duh), Tomatoes, Potatoes, Carrots, Most dark green nleafy veggies (spinich, romain lettuce, etc.) Brocolli, Berries, and to a lesser extent, apples.
6. Cooking foods with vitamin C does not harm it, but boiling them does. When Vitamin C is heated in the presence of electrolytic water, it breaks down. This means that a homemade frenchfry will give you some Vit. C, but boiled potatoes will not. Most fast-food and store-bought fries have additives that work like water and break the vit. C back down into starch. This is also why fruit glazes on hams and such do not provide much nutrition (due to the free water content of the food).
7. Overdosing on Vitamin C creates a tolerance issue and eventually an absorption problem. Recommended daialy dosages are 100-200mgs adult, 25-50 children, 75-100 for pregnant or nursing mothers. Cases have been recorded of infants born with scurvy because the mother was taking 400+mgs of vitamin C per day. This lead to an absorbtion problem where the receptors in the body that "catch" the vit. C as it passes through the intestines got burned out and stopped working.
For me, I try to limit my intake to 200mgs per week. Any more and my joints swell so bad from the allergies that it's near impossible for m to move. Any less and I start to show signs of scurvy.
-Ab
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