Vitamin C For Smokers

How much Vitamin-C do we need?

Intake recommendations for vitamin C and other nutrients are provided in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) developed by the Food and Nutrition Board

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Vitamin C Age Male Female Pregnancy Lactation 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 90 mg 75 mg 85 mg 120 mg Smokers Individuals who smoke require 35 mg/day more vitamin C than nonsmokers. Sources of Vitamin C Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of vitamin C. Citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato juice, and potatoes are major contributors of vitamin C Other good food sources include red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe Although vitamin C is not naturally present in grains, it is added to some fortified breakfast cereals.  Selected Food Sources of Vitamin C Food Milligrams (mg) per serving Red pepper, raw, ½ cup 95 Orange juice, ¾ cup 93 Orange, 1 medium 70 Grapefruit juice, ¾ cup 70 Kiwifruit, 1 medium 64 Green pepper, raw, ½ cup 60 Broccoli, cooked, ½ cup 51 Strawberries, fresh, sliced, ½ cup 49 Brussels sprouts, cooked, ½ cup 48 Groups at Risk of Vitamin – C Inadequacy: Vitamin C inadequacy can occur with intakes that fall below the RDA but are above the amount required. The following groups are more likely than others to be at risk of obtaining insufficient amounts of vitamin C. Smokers have lower plasma and leukocyte vitamin C levels than nonsmokers Individuals with limited food variety – Although fruits and vegetables are the best sources of vitamin C, many other foods have small amounts of this nutrient. Some medical conditions can reduce the absorption of vitamin C and/or increase the amount needed by the body

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