People above 50, kindly take note. Researchers have found that older people who eat plenty of Vitamin C, commonly found in citrus fruits, berries and vegetables, have the best skeletal muscle mass. This is important because people 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, according to the study, published in the Journal of Nutrition. According to researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK, this is a big problem because it can lead to frailty and other poor outcomes such as sarcopenia, physical disability, type-2 diabetes, reduced quality of life and death. Vitamin C consumption is linked with skeletal muscle mass. It helps defend the cells and tissues that make up the body from potentially harmful free radical substances. But until now, few studies have investigated the importance of vitamin C intake for older people. The team wanted to find out whether people eating more vitamin C had more muscle mass than other people.

Dietary vitamin C essential for muscle health in older adults

For the purpose of the study, the research team studied data from more than 13,000 people aged between 42-82 years, who are taking part in the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) Norfolk Study. They calculated their skeletal muscle mass and analysed their vitamin C intakes from a seven-day food diary. They also examined the amount of vitamin C in their blood. They saw that people with the highest amounts of vitamin C in their diet or blood had the greatest estimated skeletal muscle mass, compared to those with the lowest amounts.

This suggests that dietary vitamin C is important for muscle health in older men and women and may be useful for preventing age-related muscle loss. This is particularly significant as Vitamin C is readily available in fruits and vegetables, or supplements, so improving intake of this vitamin is relatively straightforward. Eating a citrus fruit, such as orange, each day and having a vegetable side to a meal will be sufficient for most people.

Boost your health with vitamic C supplements

Vitamin C comes with a whole lot of health benefits. This is a water-soluble nutrient and is found in citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwi fruit, kale, spinach, broccoli and bell peppers. But sometimes, it may not be possible for you to get the required amount of this nutrient through diet alone. In this case, you need to take supplements.

The many benefits of vitamin C supplements

Vitamin C supplements work the same as vitamin C that you get from food sources. The benefits are also the same. It will boost your immune system and bring down your risk of infections and diseases by boosting the antioxidant levels in your blood. It helps your heart health by regulating your blood pressure levels and reduces uric acid levels in your blood. It helps your body absorb iron from food and prevents iron deficiency anaemia. It is also good for cognitive health.

(With inputs from IANS)

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