The upgraded usrda (United States recommended daily allowance) for vitamin C is 90mg for men and 75mg for women, but I recommend 250mg, three times daily for men and women.
The reason I recommend splitting your vitamin C dosage up is it’s water soluble, so if you take it just once, say, at 8 a.m., by noon it will all be out of your system and just sitting in your bladder.
The best vitamin C supplement I’ve seen on the market so far, is “Reacta -C”. Some folk advocate mega doses of vitamin C. These doses can reach 20 grams, (by the way, that’s 20,000mg) or higher. Proponents of vitamin C often argue that mega doses are harmless, but that’s not true.
Some extra vitamin C is indeed beneficial, but mega doses (10,000mg and higher) can cause nutritional imbalances, deprive tissues of oxygen, and may produce a condition called “metastatic oxalosis,” where deposits of oxalate build in the kidneys (kidney stones), and heart (this produces abnormal rhythms).
Mega doses of vitamin C can also cause diarrhea, because of its laxative effect. So, to sum things up, do I recommend taking extra vitamin C, and is it safe? Yes, it’ll make you healthier, but remember, you can always get too much of a good thing.
Diet or exercise question? Email me at dwcrocker77@gmail.com or visit fitness4yourlife.org. David Crocker of Landrum has been a nutritionist and personal trainer for 26 years.
He served as strength director of the Spartanburg Y.M.C.A., head strength coach for the S.C. state champion girls gymnastic team, USC-Spartanburg baseball team, Converse college equestrian team, lead trainer to L.H. Fields modeling agency, and taught four semesters at USC-Union. David was also a regular guest of the Pam Stone radio show.