“Vitamin C?”Here!ascorbic acid
Appears in 2 scanned products.
As a supplement
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Roll Call does not check drug interactions or assess personal safety.
A water-soluble vitamin the body cannot make on its own and must get from food or supplements. It exists in several supplement forms, such as ascorbic acid or mineral ascorbates, that the body uses similarly.
Why it’s used
Taken to meet daily vitamin C needs and, in higher amounts, to support immune function and act as an antioxidant.
What the evidence is for
preventing deficiency (scurvy) and supporting normal collagen and antioxidant function.
What the evidence says
According to NIH ODS, vitamin C is well established as essential for preventing scurvy and supporting collagen synthesis, wound healing, and antioxidant activity. Evidence for benefits beyond correcting deficiency, such as preventing colds, is weaker and generally shows at most a modest effect on illness duration rather than prevention.
Dose studied
75–2000 mg — adult RDA up to the tolerable upper intake level, per NIH ODS.
Context
NIH ODS lists the adult RDA at 75-90 mg/day and a tolerable upper intake level of 2,000 mg/day; intakes above the UL raise the risk of digestive upset.
Rumors
Preventing scurvy — the fatigue, swollen and bleeding gums, poor wound healing and loosening teeth of vitamin C deficiency, which is fatal if left untreated.
Supports — establishedhealth and safety evidence
Measured as an outcome.
- Vitamin C - Health Professional Fact Sheet (Regulatory) · Funding not checked
How much is a reference amount
- 75 mg a dayfor adults 19 and over, women · Recommended Dietary Allowance
Upper limit 2,000 mg a day, from food and supplements together.
- 90 mg a dayfor adults 19 and over, men · Recommended Dietary Allowance
Upper limit 2,000 mg a day, from food and supplements together.
People who smoke need 35 mg/day more. That is a third population axis the table does not carry, so it is stated here rather than silently dropped.
Every applicable line is shown because we don’t know which one is yours, and a reference intake is a target for a population, not a threshold for harm.