7 Surprising Facts About Vitamin C

Most people meet vitamin C through orange juice and the vague idea that it "helps with colds". That's like saying a phone is useful for calls. True — but a small fraction of what it actually does. The biology of vitamin C is unusually busy. Here are seven things about it that surprise even careful eaters.

Almost every other mammal makes its own vitamin C in the liver. Humans, other primates, guinea pigs, and a handful of bats lost the final enzyme (L-gulonolactone oxidase) somewhere in our evolutionary past. We pay for it daily. The NHS says adults need 40 mg of vitamin C a day; labels use a reference value (NRV) of 80 mg.

Without vitamin C, the enzyme that hydroxylates proline in your collagen chain doesn't work. Collagen is the scaffold of your skin, blood vessels, gums, tendons, and bones. EFSA recognises that vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for skin, gums, bones, cartilage, teeth, and blood vessels (Reg. 432/2012).

Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage and skin.

Iron from plant sources (non-haem iron) is poorly absorbed on its own. This is why a squeeze of lemon on spinach or peppers in a lentil bowl is more than just flavour. For vegetarians and vegans this combination matters.

The two antioxidants work as a tag team. Vitamin E neutralises free radicals in cell membranes; that leaves vitamin E itself oxidised and inert. Vitamin C contributes to the regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E. Most quality multivitamins include both for exactly this reason.

Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.

Plain ascorbic acid is acidic and can upset some stomachs at higher doses. For most people, food-form or buffered ascorbate is plenty.

The Acerola Multi blends concentrated acerola berry with complementary botanicals for daily support.

The UK adult reference intake is 80 mg per day. Take as directed on the label.

• With a meal that contains iron: vitamin C increases iron absorption.
• Split into two doses if you're taking 500+ mg, since plasma levels peak quickly and fall.
• Combine with vitamin E or a multivitamin to keep the antioxidant pair complete.
• Don't rely on ageing supplements — vitamin C oxidises in damp, hot, or sunlit conditions. Keep the bottle sealed and out of the bathroom cabinet.

Vitamin C is the quietest workhorse in your nutrition cupboard. It builds the scaffolding for your skin and joints, helps your body actually use the iron in your dinner, and keeps your antioxidant team in rotation. Get it from food first — peppers, citrus, broccoli, kiwi — and use a sensible top-up on busy weeks. The aim isn't to chase the highest dose; it's to be consistent.