Can vitamin C be taken long term?

Vitamin C is very helpful to the human body. It can improve immunity and has certain beauty effects. Many people want to know if vitamin C can be taken for a long time? Generally speaking, long-term use of vitamin C is harmful to the human body, so you should also pay attention to the dosage when taking vitamin C.

1. Long-term use is harmful to the human body

If you take vitamin C in large doses for a long time, the human body will gradually adapt to high doses of vitamin C. Once you stop taking it, symptoms of vitamin C deficiency may appear after 3 days. In mild cases, there will be bleeding gums in the morning, and in severe cases, there will be subcutaneous bleeding or even ecchymosis. Children in their growing period who take large doses of vitamin C are prone to bone disease in the future because large doses of vitamin C will damage the formation of osteoblasts. If you take more than 4 grams of vitamin C orally every day, urinary calcium oxalate stones and kidney stones may occur after 1 week. In severe cases, it may cause hematuria and renal colic. The sharp increase in uric acid may also easily induce gout. Taking more than 3 grams of vitamin C every day may lead to increased intestinal peristalsis, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Taking it at the same time with foods containing vitamin B12 may destroy a considerable amount of vitamin B12, and a lack of vitamin B12 may easily cause anemia. So although vitamin C is a substance necessary to maintain human metabolism, excessive intake is not beneficial to the human body and may even be harmful.

2. Long-term use of vitamin C can cause urinary stones

Large amounts of vitamin C supplementation can easily lead to an increase in the production of oxalic acid, a vitamin C metabolite, in the body. Oxalic acid can easily react with calcium and other substances in the body to form insoluble substances, thereby leading to the formation of stones in the body, especially stones in the urinary system.

3. Long-term use of vitamin C reduces the body's immunity

Large amounts of vitamin C supplementation can lead to a decrease in the body's immunity. Because a large amount of vitamin C surrounding white blood cells can easily lead to a decrease in the ability of white blood cells to destroy bacteria, making the body more susceptible to disease. In addition, a large amount of vitamin C can damage the lymphocytes in the body and affect the normal function of the entire immune system.