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Vitamin C - Recommendations

Alternative Names

Ascorbic acid; Dehydroascorbic acid

Recommendations:

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamins reflects how much of each vitamin most people should get each day. The RDA for vitamins may be used as goals for each person.

How much of each vitamin you need depends on your age and gender. Other factors, such as pregnancy and illnesses, are also important.

The best way to get the daily requirement of essential vitamins, including vitamin C, is to eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of foods.

Dietary Reference Intakes for vitamin C:

Infants

0 - 6 months: 40* milligrams/day (mg/day)
7 - 12 months: 50* mg/day

*Adequate Intake (AI)

Children

1 - 3 years: 15 mg/day
4 - 8 years: 25 mg/day
9 - 13 years: 45 mg/day

Adolescents

Girls 14 - 18 years: 65 mg/day
Boys 14 - 18 years: 75 mg/day

Adults

Men age 19 and older: 90 mg/day
Women age 19 year and older: 75 mg/day

Smokers or those who are around secondhand smoke at any age should increase their daily amount of vitamin C to 35 mg.

Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding and those who smoke need higher amounts of vitamin C. Ask your doctor what amount is best for you.

Vitamin C benefit

Vitamin C deficit

Vitamin C source

Reviewed last on: 2/15/2011
Alison Evert, MS, RD, CDE, Nutritionist, University of Washington Medical Center Diabetes Care Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Escott-Stump S, ed. Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related Care. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008.

Sarubin Fragaakis A, Thomson C. The Health Professional's Guide to Popular Dietary Supplements. 3rd ed. Chicago, Il: American Dietetic Association; 2007.

Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2000.

Douglas RM, Hemila H, Chalker E, Treacy B. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev; 2007(3):CD000980.

Scurvy

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