The human body does not produce vitamin C due to the lack of an enzyme called L-gulonolactone oxidase. As vitamin C deficiencies are bad for our health, we can ensure its optimum level through a proper diet and supplementation. The appropriate level of vitamin C has a positive effect, among others, on the body’s ability to cope with oxidative stress, collagen synthesis, which is the main building block of the skin, the proper functioning of the immune system and many other important functions.*
The minimum daily requirement for vitamin C is the largest of all the vitamins. It is about 1 mg/kg of body weight in an adult, and approximately 2 mg/kg of body weight in infants and children.
*WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Human Vitamin and Mineral Requirements (1998 : Bangkok, Thailand). Vitamin and mineral requirements in human nutrition : report of a joint FAO/WHO expert consultation, Bangkok, Thailand, 21–30 September 1998. 1.Vitamins — standards 2.Micronutrients — standards 3.Trace elements — standards 4.Deficiency diseases — diet therapy 5.Nutritional requirements I.Title. ISBN 92 4 154612 3 (LC/NLM Classification: QU 145).