December is here and ushers in the cold and dark winter time. We spend more time in closed and heated spaces. What our airways, on the other hand, do not like at all, is loved by cold pathogens:dry room air and dry mucous membranes – an ideal breeding ground for colds. The pathogens are then transmitted from person to person via droplet transfer when coughing and sneezing.
A pronounced vitamin C deficiency can be present, among other things, in acute and chronic infections. Why is that? You can make this clear with a simple example, your own account. On the income side, every deposit causes the account balance to increase. If something is consumed, for example by withdrawing or placing a standing order, the balance in the account decreases. The situation is similar to the vitamin C level. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and can therefore only be stored by the body to a very limited extent.
As a result, figuratively speaking, we need to consume vitamin C regularly to replenish the balance. On the other hand, vitamin C is consumed, for example for metabolic processes in the body or as “fuel” for the immune system. In addition, something is constantly taken from the “vitamin C bill” and the vitamin C content decreases. This is also the case with an infection, for example:the vitamin C consumption is very high and the blood level can fall accordingly.
An unbalanced diet that does not contain enough vitamins leads to a situation in which, among other things, too little vitamin C is supplied through the diet. Many people consume less than the daily amount of 75 mg for women and men over the age of 14. In addition, our food loses a lot of vitamin C due to insufficient storage and preparation (vitamin C is not heat stable). In addition, the body has built in a barrier:in the small intestine, vitamin C is absorbed via special transport molecules and carried into the blood. However, the number of these transporters is limited, so that only part of the amount of vitamin C ends up in the blood.
It is also interesting in this regard that the absorption of vitamin C from the gut is limited. It is absorbed in the small intestine via special transport molecules, the number of which is limited. This means that only part of the orally ingested vitamin C can end up in the blood.
Within the first few hours after an infection, such as a cold or the flu, the vitamin C content in the body's immune cells decreases rapidly. This is because our immune cells consume vitamin C to be able to successfully fight against pathogens. If vitamin C is then not supplemented, our immune system may no longer be able to respond as needed.
If you are deficient in vitamin C, you can counteract it by eating fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C. The signs of a serious deficiency of vitamin C are bleeding from the gums, subcutaneous and internal bleeding. Then think of taking vitamin C tablets.
