Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a nutrient your body needs to build blood vessels, muscle, cartilage, and the collagen found in bones. It’s also critical to your body’s healing process and to maintaining energy and vitality.
The team at Concierge IV Nutrition, conveniently located in Beverly Hills, California, is committed to your overall health. They envision the practice as a refuge where patients can come to recharge and re-energize their bodies from the difficulties of daily life.
One of their premier services is vitamin therapy, including a high-dose vitamin C infusion that benefits your immune system, controlling inflammation in a number of ways and acting as an antiviral and an antibacterial agent. Here’s what they want you to know about the benefits of this treatment.
The scoop on vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the best-known nutrients. This water-soluble vitamin is found in a wide variety of foods, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, citrus fruits, papayas, potatoes, strawberries, and winter squash.
It acts as a powerful antioxidant, depleting the energy-driver adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in cancer cells and helping to rid the body’s cells of harmful free radicals. It’s a necessary component for making collagen, a structural protein in bones and skin that also plays an important role in helping wounds heal.
Because your body doesn’t produce its own vitamin C — meaning it’s an essential nutrient — you need to get it from your diet or from supplements. Most people get enough of the vitamin from their diet, so a deficiency is usually seen only in people who:
- Smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke
- Have a limited diet without enough fruits and vegetables
- Have certain GI conditions or certain types of cancer
Severe vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy, a disease that causes anemia, bruising, bleeding gums, and poor wound healing. Fun fact: British sailors got the nickname “limeys” because, after they discovered the importance of vitamin C, they would carry limes onboard their ships to prevent scurvy.
The recommended daily allowance for vitamin C is 90 mg for adult men and 75 mg for adult women. Because it’s water-soluble, your body doesn’t store any excess, but rather excretes it in the urine. That means you constantly need to refresh the supply.
The benefits of high-dose vitamin C infusion
When given as an IV infusion, the vitamin C doesn’t first have to go through your digestive system, which siphons off a significant quantity. Instead, you get 100% of the dose in your bloodstream. This provides additional benefits for promoting good health, including:
May reduce risk of chronic disease
An antioxidant, vitamin C boosts immune system function by protecting cells from free radicals that can cause inflammation. Studies show that vitamin C increases your blood antioxidant levels by up to 30%, boosting the body’s natural defenses.
May help manage high blood pressure
An animal study found that vitamin C supplements helped relax the blood vessels carrying blood from the heart, thereby reducing blood pressure levels. A human trial in adults with high blood pressure found that vitamin C supplements reduced systolic blood pressure by 4.9mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 1.7mm Hg, on average.
These results are certainly promising, but it’s not clear whether the effects on blood pressure are sustainable long-term.
May decrease risk of heart disease
Globally, heart disease is the leading cause of death. A number of factors, including high blood pressure, high triglyceride or LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels, increase a person’s risk. High doses of vitamin C may help reduce the risk factors, thereby reducing your overall risk for heart disease.
May reduce uric acid levels, preventing gout attacks
Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis. People with gout experience sudden, severe attacks of pain and swelling in the joints. Symptoms appear when too much uric acid builds up in the blood, crystalizes, and settles in the joints. One long-term study found that for those who took a vitamin C supplement, the risk for developing gout was 44% lower than for controls.
Are you ready for a boost?
If you’re interested in learning more about how high-dose vitamin C infusion can help you become stronger and healthier, or if you want to find out about any of our other beneficial infusions and therapies, give Concierge IV Nutrition a call at 424-260-8912, or request a consultation online today.
