Why is the consumption of Vitamin C and E important?

• By vishwa on Health, Nutrition

• August 1, 2012

Chronic Inflammation has become quite a buzzword now. It is strongly linked to many diseases like heart attacks, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. Inflammation is not some foreign particle that is causing the havoc. Simple lifestyle changes may do the trick. Among them including Vitamin C and E in your diet is paramount. They are antioxidants that protect cell membranes. Vitamin C and E has been known from a longtime to reduce inflammation. Yet we forget giving ample importance to include them in the diet. Instead we search for some magic ingredient to help us.

Vitamin E: A fat soluble vitamin (soluble in in the presence of fat) is stored in the liver and fatty tissue. However, fat soluble vitamins such as Vitamin A, D, E, and K can be toxic and lead to health problems. Why? Your body needs a small amount of fat soluble vitamins to stay in optimal health. Fat soluble vitamins take a longer time to be eliminated from the body. Consuming excess of these vitamins can be dangerous and lead to toxicity, for it takes a longer time to flush off fat soluble vitamins from the system.

Vitamin C: A water soluble vitamin and is not stored in the body. Since it is not stored in the body, it must be replaced every day. Vitamin B complex (eight of them) and vitamin C are excreted in the urine on a daily basis. Storage capacity of water soluble vitamins is limited, so the tissues can become easily saturated. In turn the rate of excretion increases. This keeps us from overdosing, but this is also why we need to take these vitamins daily.

Vitamin E sources: Nuts, seeds, olive oil, whole grains, papaya, asparagus, etc.

Vitamin C sources: Oranges, lemon, guava, capsicum, straw berry, etc.