When it comes to nutritional management for health and beauty, it is very important to take the "right amount" using supplements, without excess or deficiency. Vitamin C, which is essential for maintaining good health, is no exception.

However, I think there are many people who do not correctly understand the effects of taking large amounts of vitamin C on the body. In this article, we will explain the effects of taking too much vitamin C and the recommended intake amount.

What is Vitamin C

I will explain why vitamin C is important for beauty and health. In addition, we will pick up and introduce foods that are easy to take in vitamin C efficiently in daily meals.


Functions of vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin found in vegetables and fruits. It is considered important in terms of health maintenance and beauty.

In addition, vitamin C, which has a close relationship with collagen, which accounts for about 30% of the protein in the whole body, can be said to be a very important nutrient. Vitamin C cannot be made by the body. Therefore, vitamin C must be ingested externally through food or supplements.

【reference】
Foods with Nutrient Function Claims in Food Labeling Standards (Consumer Affairs Agency)
https://www.caa.go.jp/policies/policy/food_labeling/health_promotion/pdf/food_labeling_cms206_20200730_03.pdf
e-health net (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
https://www.e-healthnet.mhlw.go.jp/information/dictionary/food/ye-011.html
"Promotion Project for Dissemination of Information Related to Integrative Medicine" (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
https://www.ejim.ncgg.go.jp/pro/overseas/c03/16.html
“Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese 2020 Edition: Water-Soluble Vitamins” (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10904750/000586563.pdf

Foods rich in vitamin C

Vitamin C is abundant in vegetables and fruits. Also, since vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, if it is boiled, it will dissolve in the water, and you will not be able to take in the original content as it is, so be careful. The recommended way to eat them is to eat them raw.

■ Representative vegetables containing vitamin C
·tomato
·broccoli
·potato
・Nanohana
·green pepper
·cabbage

■ Representative fruits containing vitamin C
·orange
·grapefruit
·strawberry
·melon
·Kiwi fruit
・Acerola

Is it okay to take too much vitamin C?

According to the Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020 edition) produced by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, there are no reports of health problems caused by excessive intake of vitamins in healthy people who consume normal foods. It has been.

The reason for this is that even if an overdose of vitamin C is taken, the absorption rate from the digestive tract decreases, and the unabsorbed vitamin C is excreted in the urine. For example, according to the same document, the absorption rate of vitamin C is very high at about 90% when 200mg/day is taken, but it becomes less than 50% when 1000mg/day or more is taken. .

Therefore, the range of vitamin C intake is very wide, and in fact there is no "tolerable upper dose", the upper limit of habitual intake considered to pose no risk of adverse health effects. It can be said that there is not a high need to think so sensitively about taking too much vitamin C.

Basically, it was confirmed that taking too much vitamin C has little risk, but in fact, the absorption rate of vitamin C varies depending on how it is taken. If you want to take vitamin C more efficiently for your health and beauty, why not consider supplements that focus on the absorption rate? You may be able to feel the absorption rate by looking at the state of your urine.

However, taking too much vitamin C can increase the risk of kidney oxalate stones in people with impaired kidney function. Individuals with impaired kidney function should be cautious, as it is not recommended to consume more than 1g/day of vitamin C outside of your regular diet.

【reference】
“Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese 2020 Edition: Water-Soluble Vitamins” (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10904750/000586563.pdf

Recommended daily intake of vitamin C

現在のビタミンCの過不足を量るためには、「1日のビタミン摂取量の目安」を知る必要があります。ビタミンCの適正な摂取量には諸説ありますが、今回は厚生労働省が示している指標と医師に行ったアンケート調査に基づく指標の2つを紹介します。


●推奨されている一般的な摂取量

厚生労働省は「日本人の食事摂取基準（2020年版）」において、成人健康において必要な効果を有するビタミンCの摂取量として「100mg/日」を推奨しています。また65歳の高齢者も同様に100mg/日ですが、新生児のビタミンCの摂取を考慮して、妊婦は110mg/日、授乳婦は145mg/日が推奨されています。

●アンケート実施による医師が推奨する摂取量

厚生労働省が示しているビタミンCの摂取量は健康の保持・増進に必要な量です。一方、美容なども考慮すると100mg以上摂取しなければならないといった意見も少なくありません。その結果が顕著に現れたのが、2018年の「医師と消費者のビタミンCの摂取量に関するアンケート」です。

同調査は、ビタミンCを健康食品やサプリメントで摂取している「一般消費者1,000人」と、ビタミンC点滴療法を行っている「医師100人」に対して実施。その結果、医師の過半数がビタミンCの摂取量について「2,000mg/日以上」を推奨していることが明らかになりました。その一方、消費者の大半は「1,000mg/日以下」が適切な摂取量と考えている結果もあり、両者の見解に大きな相違があることが伺えます。

【参考】
医師と消費者のビタミンCの摂取量に関するアンケート
https://en.lypo-c.jp/magazine/archives/4447

How to get vitamin C efficiently?

It can be said that it is very difficult to continue to ingest the “2,000 mg/day” of vitamin C recommended by the majority of doctors through regular meals alone. If you want to take vitamin C efficiently and continuously, it is effective to use supplements.

In recent years, supplements made with liposome technology, which traps nutrients in capsules made of phospholipids, are attracting attention as a way to take vitamins. It is very effective against the characteristic of vitamin C that the absorption rate decreases depending on the amount of intake, and we aim to increase the absorption rate compared to conventional supplements.

What should I pay attention to when using supplements?

If you are on prescription medication, please consult your doctor before consuming.

Article supervision

Director of Elm Clinic Azabu-in
Mr. Ayuori Yokoyama
Elm Clinic Azabuin

After graduating from Hiroshima University School of Medicine, he worked at JCHO Tokyo Shinjuku Medical Center, etc., and is currently the director of Elm Clinic Azabu-in.

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