According to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) Vitamin C could be the key to better muscles in later life. The study shows that older people who eat plenty of vitamin C — commonly found in citrus fruits, berries and vegetables — have the best skeletal muscle mass.
Vitamin C an essential nutrient is required for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. It is used to form collagen, a protein used to make skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels.
Vitamin C Role in the Body
- Healing of wounds
- Repair and maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.
- Helps with blood pressure by strengthening the walls of the arteries.
- Prevent damage to cells caused by aging as well as help reduce stress.
- Strengthen the liver function to balance the estrogen level during the menstrual cycle.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you are supposed to take in more C than women that are not.
Aging Vs. Skeletal Muscle Mass Loss and strength.
Women tend to lose skeletal muscle mass as they get older — leading to sarcopenia (a condition characterised by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function), frailty and reduced quality of life.
People over 50 lose up to one per cent of their skeletal muscle mass each year, and this loss is thought to affect more than 50 million people worldwide. This can lead to frailty and other poor outcomes such as sarcopenia, physical disability, type-2 diabetes, reduced quality of life and death.
Adequate Vitamin C helps defend the cells and tissues that make up the body from potentially harmful free radical substances. Unopposed these free radicals can contribute to the destruction of muscle, thus speeding up age-related decline.
Eating a citrus fruit, such as an orange, each day and having a vegetable side to a meal will be sufficient for most women to retain muscle mass.
Research Study
This research has been conducted on 13,000 people aged between 42-82 years, who took part in the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) Norfolk Study.
Source: The Science Daily
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
