Overweight people need significantly more than the recommended daily intake of vitamin C to maintain good health, according to new international research from the University of Otago, Christchurch. At the same time, a large part of the world’s population is not covered by current recommended intakes.
“Our data suggest that the globally recommended daily intake of vitamin C is seriously underestimated,” said lead researcher Professor Anitra Kar, director of the Nutrition in Medicine Research Group.
The study, co-authored with researchers from the universities of Copenhagen and Aberdeen, analyzed two large international datasets with thousands of participants. This suggested that obesity may influence the dose-concentration relationship of vitamin C in the body as a result of lower inflammation. can increase oxidative stress and circulation of vitamin C in the body. Obesity is also known to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which are associated with low vitamin C concentrations.
“It is clear that with the global increase in body weight, a significant and growing proportion of the world’s population is no longer covered by recommended intakes. For example, the daily recommendation for vitamin C in New Zealand is 45 mg per day, which is one of the lowest recommended daily amounts in the world,” Carr said.
“We believe this new evidence highlights the need for an updated set of recommended daily allowances for vitamin C,” he said.
The study authors suggest that Supplemental intake of vitamin C is easily obtained either through diet either through supplements.
“A medium-sized apple contains about 10 mg of vitamin C, so if you weigh 70-80 kg, getting the optimal amount of vitamin C your body needs can be as easy as eating an extra apple or two each day. If you weigh more, then maybe an orange with 70mg of vitamin C or a kiwi with around 100mg would be the easiest solution,” says Carr.
Vitamin C for better health
The lead researcher notes that there is growing evidence internationally that vitamin C is vital for disease prevention.
“The evidence is now convincing that adequate vitamin C levels can play an important role in reducing the risk of common diseases such as heart disease and cancer. “Other studies have linked vitamin C deficiency to an increased risk of infection, poor wound healing, depression and fatigue,” he said.