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The Many Wonders of Vitamin C
There is also a connection between a deficiency of vitamin C, weight gain, and stress. When we are exposed to almost constant stress, no matter the source (find out 10 things that bring on chronic stress), our adrenal glands can become depleted due to an almost constant outpouring of stress hormones. Adrenal fatigue will eventually set in, which causes hair loss, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, muscle soreness, and susceptibility to illnesses. Weight gain around the midriff is a real problem as the higher cortisol levels due to that weight gain circulates throughout the body. If your adrenals are imbalanced, your thyroid glands will be affected, which only makes weight gain worse.
There is a new study, however, that gives us hope that vitamin C can minimize the body’s stress response, which can protect your thyroid and adrenal glands.
The University of Alabama at Huntsville discovered during the course of their research that rats that were fed 200 mg of vitamin C daily had reduced levels of stress hormones, as well as low indicators of emotional and physical stress. P. Samuel Campbell, PH.D., suggests that our ancestors most likely ate a large amount of fruits and, therefore, consumed large amounts of vitamin C. If this is the case, then our inherited biology might need far more vitamin C than our current RDA suggests.
Right now, it’s suggested that men get 90 mgs and women 75 mgs, smokers an additional 35mgs, but perhaps those suggestions are on the low side. Some studies have shown that people with higher levels of vitamin C in their bodies oxidize fat 30 percent better during exercise than those with vitamin C deficiencies, according to an article published in 2005 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
Eat more organic, vitamin rich foods, such as tomatoes and citrus fruits, or take supplements to ensure that you are getting all the benefits that this amazing vitamin has to offer us.
Sources:
Berkeley.edu
Medind.nic.in [PDF]
Sciencedaily.com
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
News.bbc.co.uk