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How Much Vitamin C Is Required?In the United States, the RDA is a minimum of 40 mg for men and 30 mg for women. Smokers require as much as 100 mg. However, many doctors and nutritionists suggest that the optimum amount is a daily dose of 200 mg. The Journal of the American Medical Association published an exhaustive review to determine the required amount of Vitamin C. The review revealed that doctors should counsel patients to avoid regular daily doses of over 1,000 mg. If you are Vitamin C-deficient, scurvy is your biggest health risk. Scurvy is presently very uncommon. Your diet would have to be almost completely bereft of Vitamin C for you to be at risk. But Vitamin C deficiencies are linked to shorter life spans and a higher risk of heart problems. Toxicity or Vitamin C overdose is not fatal, but it can cause discomfort like bloating, gas and diarrhea. These effects can be treated quickly by decreasing your supplement dosage. Extra-high levels of Vitamin C may interfere with copper absorption. If you are taking high doses of Vitamin C, take adequate copper supplements as well. A good dosage guideline is 500 mg a day, whether taken through diet or supplementation. Vitamin C has antioxidant properties and is especially effective when consumed with other antioxidant vitamins like Vitamin E. Also Read:
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