Daily Vitamin C Requirements: Infants, Children, and Adults
Ascorbic acid, popularly known as vitamin C, is a compound that the body needs to protect cells from damage, maintain skin health, and also aid wound healing. Given its highly important benefits, you must always meet your daily vitamin C requirements.
Unlike vitamin D, which your body can produce on its own,[1] ascorbic acid is not the same. You can only obtain vitamin C through food intake, or a more hygienic and practical option is through supplements.
Recommended Daily Vitamin C Intake

Inadequate ascorbic acid intake will, of course, not provide the functions your body needs. Meanwhile, excessive ascorbic acid intake can actually have adverse consequences for the body.
Therefore, you need to pay attention to how much ascorbic acid your body needs. Based on data from the National Institute of Health,[2] the following are the quantities of daily vitamin C requirements for children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly:
|
Age |
Men |
Women |
Pregnant Women |
Breastfeeding Mothers |
|
0 - 6 Months |
40 mg |
40 mg |
||
|
7 - 12 Months |
50 mg |
50 mg |
||
|
1 - 3 Years |
15 mg |
15 mg |
||
|
4 - 8 Years |
25 mg |
25 mg |
||
|
9 - 13 Years |
45 mg |
45 mg |
||
|
14 - 18 Years |
75 mg |
65 mg |
80 mg |
115 mg |
|
19 Years and Older (Up to Elderly) |
90 mg |
75 mg |
85 mg |
120 mg |
Pregnant women's daily vitamin C requirements are higher because the body needs more collagen, which is essential for the baby's growth.
Meanwhile, breastfeeding mothers need more ascorbic acid because breastfeeding can deplete several nutrients that have been transferred through breast milk.
Vitamin C Quantity for Smokers
For those of you who smoke, you will need more ascorbic acid. From the table above, you can add 36 mg of ascorbic acid per day. This is because smoking causes oxidative stress that can deplete the body's vitamin C levels.[3]
Effects Caused by Vitamin C Deficiency

Given its highly important function, a lack of ascorbic acid entering the body will certainly have several health impacts. Here are some of them:
-
Weakened Immune System
Low vitamin C intake can weaken the immune system, making anyone who experiences it more susceptible to infections, prone to frequent illness, and slow to recover.
-
Body Easily Bruises
Without enough vitamin C, the body will struggle to produce sufficient collagen. Without the required amount of collagen, blood vessels will become increasingly fragile, making you more prone to bruising.[4]
-
Bleeding Gums
A lack of collagen in the body due to inadequate vitamin C intake can also cause bleeding gums. In more severe cases, you may also experience loose teeth.
-
Brittle and Falling Hair
Ascorbic acid is very important for the absorption of iron needed by the body for healthy hair growth.[5] When ascorbic acid is deficient, suboptimal iron absorption causes hair to become dry, brittle, and fall out.
Side Effects of Taking Too Much Vitamin C Every Day

The body does indeed need ascorbic acid. However, the daily vitamin C dose for adults, adolescents, and children should not be exceeded.
The maximum daily vitamin C intake for adults is 2000 mg per day. For adolescents, it is 1800 mg, and for children, it is 1200 mg.
Exceeding these amounts can cause several adverse side effects, such as:
-
Nausea, Vomiting, and Bloating
In mild cases, excessive ascorbic acid intake can make your stomach uncomfortable, leading to nausea and vomiting.
Not only that, reports show that excessive intake can also cause acid reflux, leading to bloating.[6]
-
Diarrhea
When the body receives an excessive intake of ascorbic acid, the unabsorbed residue will be expelled through diarrhea.
If you continue to consume vitamin C while experiencing diarrhea, this action can worsen your current condition.
-
Kidney Stones
In more severe cases, you may also experience kidney stones, which can make urination extremely painful.
This happens because of increased oxalate levels in the urine due to excessively high vitamin C consumption over a long period.
-
Bone Spurs
In addition to kidney stones, in severe cases, you may also experience bone spurs or bony protrusions that appear in the joint area.[6] When this happens, the joint will become inflamed and swollen, followed by pain.
To ensure you meet your daily vitamin C requirements correctly, you can consume Sido Muncul vitamin C 500 mg. Its clearly defined dosage will help you get the right amount of vitamin C.
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