Should kids take vitamin C?
As the winter chill appears many of you may be reaching for the vitamin C supplements. And now with coronavirus it seems even more necessary. But is this warranted? Does vitamin C help prevent colds and illnesses? And what happens if children are given too much?
What does vitamin C do?
Like most nutrients vitamin C has multiple functions. I’ll review a few that I think are most relevant for children.
Healthy skin, teeth and bones. Vitamin C is an important part of collagen formation. This forms the scaffolding of many tissues helping with growth and also with wound healing.
Antioxidant. All our bodies produce molecules called free radicals during normal metabolism or when we are exposed to any environmental stress like pollution, smoke or sunlight. Although free radicals are essential and even form a part of our immune system, if left unchecked they can cause significant damage. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps to clear up excess free radicals.
Immunity. This is where vitamin C has become very popular and looking at the science you can understand why. Vitamin C is an integral part of a healthy immune system . It boosts the function of our immune cells helping our body fight off bacteria and viruses. This has lead to its use for both mild and serious illnesses. In terms of the common cold the evidence seems to say that it won’t help prevent a cold, but it can make it a milder and shorter illness.
Healthy brain. By this I mean it’s role in producing neurotransmitters (chemicals that are allow cells to communicate with each other). For example vitamin C is involved in production and function of cortisol, norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin. Because of this vitamin C has been associated with improved learning, better mood and less anxiety. It has also been used to help treat seriously ill patients with sepsis in intensive care (recently in the news again because of covid 19).
Iron absorption. Vitamin C supports the absorption and storage of iron especially that from non animal sources. It’s why I usually recommend having iron supplements with orange juice and not milk which actually decreases absorption of iron.
Could your child have low vitamin C?
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient so our children need to eat it in foods because their bodies can’t make it. You’ve probably heard of scurvy. This is a severe and chronic deficiency of vitamin C that was common many years ago during prolonged journeys at sea when people couldn’t eat fresh foods. It is a disease with painful joints and muscles, easy bruising and bleeding, inflamed gums, susceptibility to infections and even heart attacks.
Thankfully severe vitamin C deficiency is now rare although low levels are common in certain groups of people.
Children at risk include those who can’t or won’t eat an array of fresh fruit and vegetables:
- multiple food allergies
- eating disorders
- problem fussy eating
Vitamin C rich foods
Fruits and veggies are the best source of vitamin C. The ones below have particularly high levels. It’s good to note that the fresher the better and raw is better than cooked.
If your child has a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, including some rich in vitamin C, it’s highly likely that they are reaching their daily requirement. Children need approximately 15-75 mg/day of vitamin C depending on age. Unwell children may require more. To put this into perspective if a toddler eats one kiwi fruit (60mg vitamin C) they’re already met their daily requirement.
Could your child have too much vitamin C?
Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin which means that if your child has too much they usually just wee it out. That being said, high doses of supplements can definitely cause problems. The most common is tummy pains and diarrhoea but it can also cause kidney stones. The upper tolerable limit in the chart below is the maximum dose that children seem to be able to tolerate before side effects and complications. Be aware though that this is only a guide and children can have bad effects on smaller doses or even tolerate higher doses that may have been prescribed. It’s always best to start on a low dose and slowly work up under the care of your healthcare provider.
| Age | Upper Tolerable Limit |
| 1 – 3 years old | 400mg |
| 4 – 8 years old | 650mg |
| 9 – 13 years old | 1200mg |
| 14 – 18 years old | 1800mg |
So should you be reaching for vitamin C supplements?
After reviewing the literature, I think that that if you’ve a healthy child who eats a variety of fruit and vegetables then it’s probably not necessary. But if you’ve a child who gets colds they can’t seem to shake or becomes very unwell with them, then it’s worthwhile boosting their diet with vitamin C rich foods or trying a supplement. There is currently no clear evidence that vitamin C supplementation prevents or treats coronavirus.
If you’re choosing to give a supplement please be careful not to exceed the recommended dose for age on the packaging and never the upper tolerable limit unless specifically prescribed.
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