Ascorbic acid powder is a powder that can be added to drinks or food to enhance the nutritional value, primarily as it relates to the immune system. Ascorbic acid comes in a variety of forms; the best-known form of ascorbic acid is vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that is of the utmost importance to the human immune system. Many animals are able to produce vitamin C in their own bodies; humans, however, lack this ability and must take in vitamin C in their diets. Ascorbic acid powder helps people with low vitamin-C diets to maintain a healthy immune system.
Vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid powder affects many aspects of human and animal health and is essential for health and for survival. It ensures or improves immunity and resistance to many different illnesses and disorders, ranging from the common cold to heart disease. Ascorbic acid powder helps hold proteins together, which can help increase one's lifespan. It can also work as a natural laxative, and it can inhibit many kinds of infections. It also aids in the absorption of iron and helps to prevent blood clotting; these are a few of the many different roles that vitamin C plays.
Vitamin C deficiency, which can be prevented through the use of ascorbic acid powder, causes a condition known as scurvy. Vitamin C is responsible for the formation of collagen, which is very important to the proper functioning of connective tissues and strongly affects the quality of skin. An individual afflicted with scurvy tends to develop discolored spots on his skin. Afflicted individuals often note bleeding in their mouth and gums; they may also begin to lose teeth. In advanced cases of scurvy, an afflicted individual will eventually become immobilized and, if he is still untreated, he will eventually die.
There are few risks associated with vitamin C overdose, so ascorbic acid powder is generally a safe substance. Ascorbic acid is water soluble, meaning that it dissolves in water; excess vitamin C, then, is simply excreted with urine. The average person should try to take in at least 60 milligrams of vitamin C each day. Individuals who lead particularly stressful lifestyles, are often ill, or have conditions that adversely affect their immune systems should try to consume more. Gas, diarrhea, or, in extreme cases, kidney stone formation could result from absorbing more than 2000 milligrams of vitamin C each day.
