5 Tips on Vitamin C Dosage
1. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin and is only retained in the body for a maximum of 4 hours before being oxidized or excreted in the urine, so vitamin C overdose is rare. Due to this short life in the body, it is best to take vitamin C in small divided doses throughout the day (at 4 hour intervals).
2. The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for vitamin C is 45 to 60 mg per day. This is the smallest amount needed to prevent a life-threatening disease; in the case of vitamin C it is scurvy. This amount, however, is certainly not the optimal amount needed for good health, it is 300mg to 500mg daily depending on diet and lifestyle.
3. Things that can increase the need for vitamin C supplements are poor diet, consumption of processed or stored foods, pollution, toxic substances, especially nicotine (each cigarette smoked depletes the body of 25mg of vitamin C), DDT, stress, antibiotics, sulfonamides. , cortisone, aspirin, The Birth Control Pill. In any of the above circumstances, a more suitable dose would be 1,000 mg to 2,000 mg daily.
4. If you are experiencing an acute infection or inflammatory condition such as a cold, flu, or hay fever, increase the dose to 1,000 mg every hour for six doses, then to 1,000 mg every 4 hours until symptoms improve.
5. Vitamin C overdose is extremely rare. Vitamin C is very safe to take, as if too much vitamin C is taken, any excess will be excreted in the urine or as acid diarrhea. Please note that this will only happen with very large and frequent doses. If this occurs, reduce the dose to a level where you do not experience diarrhoea.
additional tip
Do not take high doses of vitamin C if you are pregnant, as this can condition the baby to a rich supply and could lead to early development of vitamin C deficiency. The maximum dose should not be more than 250mg – 300mg per day as well as eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.
In summary, the correct dose of vitamin C supplements is as follows:
300mg-500mg per day- Good diet/lifestyle
1000 mg – 2000 mg per day – Poor diet/lifestyle
1000 mg every 4 hours – Acute infection/inflammation
250 mg – 300 mg per day – Pregnancy
Thank you for taking the time to read this information on the correct doses of vitamin C.
Here’s to your good health… naturally!
Nadine Masseron ND