Most of the top health professionals recommend a vitamin C supplement and 500 milligrams is a favorite choice for dosage. This is a far cry from years ago when Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling recommended people take thousands of milligrams of vitamin C to prevent colds and stay healthier. Later studies by the Mayo Clinic showed no significant benefit of taking massive doses of vitamin C .
Large doses of vitamin C are not recommended by most doctors and health practitioners, but this vitamin is still a key supplement in your supplement arsenal. Studies have shown the benefits of taking this vitamin, including reducing the risk of certain cancers, including stomach, esophageal, colon, and breast cancer. One of the main causes of stomach and intestinal cancer is the H. pylori bacterium and vitamin C prevents this bacteria from colonizing in your stomach or intestines. Vitamin C should be one of the antioxidants you take for protecting your body from cancer.
One of the main problems with basic vitamin C like ascorbic acid is that it is hard on the stomach because of the high acidity. People who were taking high doses of vitamin C had stomach problems and a highly acidic body. Today there are newer and better forms of vitamin C including buffered vitamin C and fat-soluble vitamin C. Another good addition in some good brands of vitamin C is the addition of natural bioflavonoids, which are part of the natural vitamin C complex found in fruits.
Your game plan for taking vitamin C should include a supplement that has 500 mg of buffered vitamin C and at least 100 mg of bioflavonoids. You can take the supplement in divided doses with one in the morning and one in the evening so you can have protection throughout the day. If you plan on taking larger doses you need to know that after 2 or 3 grams of vitamin C you could end up with diarrhea so start with lower doses.