Boost Vitamin C Levels

Recommended individual vitamin C intake should be raised by up to 300 percent, say researchers reviewing the role of the powerful antioxidant in the healthy function of the body.

Writing in The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers at the National Institutes of Health say the current 60-milligram recommendation should be boosted to from 100 to 200 milligrams daily -- and mostly should come from fruits and vegetables.

The 60-milligram recommended level was established in 1980 and researchers say the new recommendations are based on biochemical and clinical data developed since the level was last reviewed in 1989.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is one of 13 essential vitamins, chemicals that the body needs to function properly. The body doesn't produce the vitamin naturally, so people need to ingest the recommended allowance in order to avoid diseases caused by a deficiency of vitamin C.