Vitamin C-how long does it stay in the body? How much of it is safe to eat?

Question

I know it is good for colds, but how much is it good to take, and what effects can it have if you taketoo much?

Answer 1

The biological halflife for vitamin C is quite short, about 30 minutes in blood plasma, a fact which NIH and IM researchers have failed to recognize. NIH researchers established the current RDA based upon tests conducted 12 hours (24 half lives) after consumption. "To be blunt," says Hickey, "the NIH gave a dose of vitamin C, waited until it had been excreted, and then measured blood levels."

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

In the U.S., the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin C was recently revised upward from 60 mg daily for men and women. The RDA continues to be based primarily on the prevention of deficiency disease, rather than the prevention of chronic disease and the promotion of optimum health. The recommended intake for smokers is 35 mg/day higher than for nonsmokers, because smokers are under increased oxidative stress from the toxins in cigarette smoke and generally have lower blood levels of vitamin C (6).

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C
Life Stage Age Males (mg/day) Females (mg/day)
Infants 0-6 months 40 (AI) 40 (AI)
Infants 7-12 months 50 (AI) 50 (AI)
Children 1-3 years 15 15
Children 4-8 years 25 25
Children 9-13 years 45 45
Adolescents 14-18 years 75 65
Adults 19 years and older 90 75
Smokers 19 years and older 125 110
Pregnancy 18 years and younger - 80
Pregnancy 19-years and older - 85
Breastfeeding 18 years and younger - 115
Breastfeeding 19 years and older - 120

Answer 2

I take 1000% per day because my multivitamins are packed with it - it's pretty much useless over 150% DV since you just pee it away, but I need to take it to get my other vitamin levels up to 100%. You would have to take a LOT of it to OD - you would likely OD on the other vitamins in a multivitamin faster than Vitamin C. Take a look at the source on this post.

Answer 3

Vitamin C, unlike other pills, gets washed out of your body quicker than the others. Still, you never want to take to much. 1 - 2 thousand milligrams is plenty, though 1 1/2 thousand milligrams is likely good enough if you're trying to fight off a cold.

Answer 4

vitamin c is lost when we all cook our food rich in it, when we go to the loo, etc. if you over boil carrots or any yellow vegies, than there is no way you are going to have vitamin c. unless you drink up the water that you boil the vegies in. too much of vitamin c can cause diarehoe, and too little again can cause a cold or any disease associated with that problem. get mor information from your health practitioner.

Answer 5

your body can't store vitamin c so therfore it will be gone by the morning, you can overdose on it though!! as for the how much i dont know, eat and orange or two a day.

Answer 6

maximum 2000 mg a day, otherwise it could lead to diarrhea. Also be careful if you have kidney disease, because then you shouldn't take high doses at all.

Answer 7

Don't worry you you can't overdose on vit c as you pee away any excess. It's water soluble you see.