Vitamin-C The king of vitamins

Vitamins were discovered when it was observed that diets adequate in calories, essential amino acids fats and minerals failed to maintain health. The term vitamin has now come to refer to any organic dietary constituent necessary for life, health and growth, which does not function by supplying energy. There are minor differences in metabolism between mammalian species and not in another. Most of the vitamins have important function in intermediary metabolism of various organic systems.

Vitamin-C or ascorbic acid has the amazing history of having been isolated in the pure state before it was realized that is was a vitamin. It was first isolated by SZEN TGYORGYI in 1928 from adrenal glands and subsequently from orange juice and cabbage. It was not until 1932 that it was discovered to be the most powerful antiscorbutic (scurvy preventing) substance known, although it had been known that Vitamin-C concentrates were in some way associated with reducing properties. The discovery stimulated an intense chemical interest, as a result of which the vitamin was identified and synthesized in 1933 and named Ascorbic acid.

Vitamin-C has been placed in the category of water soluble vitamins. It is soluble below pH 6.8 at room temperature but readily oxidized in an alkaline medium. In fruits and vegetables oxidation is accelerated by the rise in temperature in the early stages of cooking of fruits than of vegetables since the water from the former is consumed.

Recent Revelations: Vitamin-C has also been labeled an anti-stress vitamin. Writing in the British Medical Journal, LANCET, and one physician suggested that Vitamin-C is necessary for conversion of dopamine to nor epinephrine or noradrenalin an anti- stress hormone (also called a catecholamine) Scientists at the North Carolina, also believe that Vitamin-C helps in the production of nor epinephrine and adrenaline-another hormone necessary/ critical to our overall response to stress.