VITAMIN C 1000MG – BELL KENYA PRODUCTS – 250 TABS

Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin, is essential for the synthesis of collagen and intercellular material. Vitamin C deficiency develops when the dietary intake is inadequate. It is rare in adults, but may occur in infants, alcoholics, or the elderly. Deficiency leads to the development of a well-defined syndrome known as scurvy. This is characterised by capillary fragility, bleeding (especially from small blood vessels and the gums), normocytic or macrocytic anaemia, cartilage and bone lesions, and slow healing of wounds.

Vitamin C is used in the treatment and prevention of deficiency. It completely reverses symptoms of deficiency. It is usually given by mouth, the preferred route, as ascorbic acid, and has been given to children in the form of a suitable fruit juice such as orange juice or as black currant or rose hip syrups. Ascorbic acid in Kenya or sodium ascorbate may be given parenterally, preferably by the intramuscular route, but also by the intravenous or subcutaneous routes. Doses of 25 to 75 mg daily in the prevention of deficiency, and 250 mg or more daily in divided doses for the treatment of deficiency, have been recommended.

Ascorbic acid 100 to 200 mg daily may be given with desferrioxamine in the treatment of patients with thalassaemia, to improve the chelating action of desferrioxamine, thereby increasing the excretion of iron. In iron deficiency states ascorbic acid may increase gastrointestinal iron absorption and ascorbic acid or ascorbate salts are therefore included in some oral iron preparations. Ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate have been used in treating methaemoglobinaemia. Ascorbic acid has been used to acidify urine. It has also been tried in the treatment of many other disorders but there is little evidence of beneficial effect.

Eye drops containing potassium ascorbate have been used for the treatment of chemical burns. Potassium ascorbate 10% is used alternately with sodium citrate 10%; it is believed that the ascorbate works by mopping up free oxygen radicals thus aiding in the prevention of corneal epithelial damage.

Ascorbic acid and calcium and sodium ascorbates are used as antoxidants in pharmaceutical manufacturing and in the food industry.