5 Reasons to supplement Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of those fundamental supplements that most people have in their regime without really thinking about it and it’s for good reason too!
Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid, which is an essential mineral that plays a role in maintaining overall health and wellbeing.
If you are a female and you exercise regularly, here are the benefits for supplementing Vitamin C:
Support and nourish your HPA Axis: Although the role between Vitamin C and stress is not fully understood, the current research does point towards Vitamin C being neuroprotective against stress . We are living in an overstimulated and very stressful world, with the modern woman more stressed than ever before. That means our Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal is very likely on overdrive, pumping out cortisol in excess due to being consistently activated. Not to mention the fact that training in itself is a stress (more so if you haven’t built up your stress resilience).
Helps with iron absorption: With many of us struggling to absorb iron, vitamin C could help with this. Research shows that Vitamin C makes iron more bioavailable and increases our stores. This is extremely important if you have heavy periods and are prone to iron deficiency as a result.
Protecting your cells from oxidative stress: Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that neutralises free radicals. Oxidative stress refers to the imbalance of these free radicals vs antioxidants. Intense exercise can exacerbate oxidative stress, leading to delayed recovery, inflammation and impaired athletic performance.
Support your immune system: As we know training is a stress on the body which will impact the immune system if it is not supported. If you’re finding yourself constantly getting ill and have infections, your immune system is likely struggling. Vitamin C has been shown to support your immune system and reduce infections.
Recovery: Vitamin C helps build collagen and collagen plays a crucial role in muscle repair and recovery post exercise. Studies show that Vitamin C may reduce delayed onset muscle soreness and improve tissue repair.
