Should you take VITAMIN C ZINC? and
Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid, and helps to protect cells and keep them healthy, maintaining skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage and also helps with wound healing
Vitamins are substances that cannot be made by the human body so they must be added to the diet in small amounts for the body to function normally. Vitamins (such as A, C and D) should be distinguished from minerals (such as calcium and iron), some of which are also essential micronutrients. A balanced and healthy diet that incudes vegetables, fruits and protein should be adequate to fulfill the need for these vitamins and minerals. If you are unable to get them in your diet, then you can take a tablet to “supplement” your diet (this is why they are called supplements).
Zinc is commonly found in lozenges and preparations for cough and colds. Zinc lozenges have been shown to shorten the duration of a cold when taken within the first 24 hours.
Supplements should be taken with caution. Some patients argue that these are “organic” or
“just vitamins” and can’t cause any trouble. But they can interact with your medications, depending on the type and timing of when you take them. Taking an excess of vitamins also won’t make you healthier or prevent a certain disease and can cause more harm than good.
Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid and helps to protect cells and keep them healthy, maintaining skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage and also helps with wound healing. A deficiency in vitamin C is called scurvy, where you can have bleeding of the gums and bruising in the skin. Good sources of vitamin C include not only citrus fruit such as oranges and calamansi but also vegetables like broccoli, potatoes, spinach and tomatoes. Heat destroys ascorbic acid, so cooking can reduce the vitamin C content of food. Steaming or microwaving may lessen these losses. Fortunately, many of the best food sources of vitamin C are usually consumed raw. The recommended daily dose of vitamin C for Filipinos is about 30 to 70 mg per day. Consuming five varied servings of fruits and vegetables a day can give around 200 mg, while supplements usually contain 500 mg of vitamin C. Doses of up to 1000 mg a day are safe to take, but more than that and you can have stomach pain, bloating and diarrhea.
There is also a risk of developing kidney stones. Vitamin C is water soluble, so whatever the body does not need is filtered by your kidneys and is eliminated in your urine (that is why your urine turns very yellow after taking too much vitamin C). So make sure you drink enough water while taking these supplements, about eight to 10 eight-ounce glasses a day.
Taking vitamin C can reduce the duration of a cold, but does not really prevent the common cold. This has been seen only in persons involved in high-intensity physical activity in extremely cold climates --- not an everyday scenario.
Zinc is another mineral that is thought to help with the immune system. It helps with making new cells in the body and wound healing, and also with digesting food. Sources of zinc include meat, shellfish, dairy foods such as cheese, bread and cereals.
The usual daily dose of elemental zinc is 7 to 9.5 mg a day. Most supplements contain 10 mg of zinc. Supplements can contain several forms of zinc --- zinc gluconate, zinc sulfate, and zinc acetate. Check for the elemental zinc content in the Supplement Facts panel on the container. It has not determined however whether one form of zinc is better than the other.
Zinc is commonly found in lozenges and preparations for cough and colds. Zinc lozenges have been shown to shorten the duration of a cold when taken within the first 24 hours. Nasal sprays with zinc should be avoided because this can cause long-lasting or permanent loss of smell).
Do not take more than 50 mg of elemental zinc a day unless advised by a doctor. If you take too much, zinc can cause nausea vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal cramps, diarrhea and headaches. Too much zinc can cause anemia and weaken your immune system and bones.
There is currently no scientific evidence to suggest that taking vitamin C or zinc is harmful to patients with COVID-19, but there is also no evidence to suggest that it will prevent or treat the disease. There has been anecdotal use of high dose IV injections of vitamin C in severely ill patients, not over-the-counter supplements. All these potential treatments remain experimental, and should only be done under the supervision of a doctor.
As always, ask your doctor first whether a supplement is right for you before taking them, to lessen the risk of any untoward side effects or interactions, and so that you get the most out of them for optimum health.