Third, vitamin C is an essential part of the skin’s defense system. It’s actively transported to the skin, where it can act as an antioxidant and help strengthen the skin’s barriers ( 22).

D'Oria R, Schipani R, Leonardini A, et al. The role of oxidative stress in cardiac disease: from physiological response to injury factor. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2020:5732956. doi:10.1155/2020/5732956

How Much Vitamin C Should You Take Daily?

Carr AC, Vissers MC. Synthetic or food-derived vitamin C--are they equally bioavailable?. Nutrients. 2013;5(11):4284-4304. So, most healthy people need around 100 mg of vitamin C a day. Way less than 1,000 mg, which is found in many dietary supplements. The regular intake of 1,000 mg of vitamin C is pretty safe, though. Pin But too much of a good thing is, well, too much. The upper limit of vitamin C supplements is 2,000 mg per day; at doses higher than that, you may experience side effects like:

Zampatti S, Ricci F, Cusumano A, Marsella LT, Novelli G, Giardina E. Review of nutrient actions on age-related macular degeneration. Nutr Res. 2014;34(2):95–105. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2013.10.011 In general, getting up to 1,000 mg of vitamin C is pretty safe. Most people are rather unlikely to experience any side effects.Meanwhile, liposomal vitamin C is a form encapsulated in liposomes, a small vesicle made from cholesterol or other phospholipids. These supplements can help increase the absorption of vitamin C, but they are also often more expensive ( 14, 17). Registered dietitian Devon Peart, RD, MHSc, explains what vitamin C really does for your body and why it’s so important to get enough of it. What is vitamin C? Some research has found that supplementing with vitamin C can shorten the duration of a cold and may help prevent and treat other infections, such as tetanus and pneumonia. But more human studies are needed ( 4). High amounts of oxalate can build up in your kidneys, which can increase the risk of kidney stone formation ( 19).

According to a study, researchers have treated cancer patients with high dosages of vitamin C, through IVC therapy (intravenous vitamin C). Scientists gave cancer patients up to 100 g of vitamin C a day! That’s 100,000 mg. 100 times more vitamin C than the 1,000 mg dose, or 100,000 times the recommended daily intake of vitamin C. That’s a huge dose. [ 2] Evans JR, Lawrenson JG. Antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplements for preventing age-related macular degeneration. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;7(7):CD000253. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD000253.pub4 Children have lower vitamin C requirements, ranging from 25–75 mg per day, depending on their age. However, healthcare professionals generally do not advise giving children a vitamin C supplement unless their pediatrician has recommended it. Baradaran A, Nasri H, Rafieian-Kopaei M. Oxidative stress and hypertension: possibility of hypertension therapy with antioxidants. J Res Med Sci. 2014;19(4):358-367. Finally, it’s also worth looking at the ingredient list and choosing a product that’s free of artificial additives or preservatives. Similarly, if you’re trying to limit your intake of added sugar, you’ll want to avoid sweetened supplements. Dose

What Are the Benefits of Vitamin C Supplements?

Preliminary research also suggests that vitamin C has anticancer properties and that a high dose supplement could potentially be used as an alternative treatment in people with cancer ( 6, 7, 8).