What’s your favorite drink? Mine is a body shot off of Miranda Kerr’s navel (and by “navel,” I mean breasts), but I digress. Unfortunately for you, I’m not asking for your favorite beer or liquor. Instead, I’m more interested in what non-alcoholic beverage you sip during class (that is, if you go to class). Is it a legendary Vitamin Water, an acidic Vault, a misleading diet Coke or a new 30 percent-less-plastic-but-still-not-biodegradable Poland Spring bottle of water?
Scientists have taken a new look at vitamin C and its health benefits. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most people like orange juice. What’s not to like? It’s made from a fruit that is named after a fashionable color, contains vitamin C and is downright delicious. It can also be healthy for you in a number of ways.
If I asked you what vitamin C was, you’d probably give the following eloquent response: “Dude, it’s a vitamin.” But it’s so much more. It’s an antioxidant and it can help protect your heart, though it may not stop your heart from being broken on Valentine’s Day (Don’t worry Jimmy, I’m sure your girlfriend has a perfectly good explanation for sleeping with the entire starting five of Duke’s basketball team … at the same time).
Finnish researchers reviewed the studies of 300,000 people over the course of 10 years and found that taking 700 milligrams of vitamin C daily can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 25 percent. Experts say that vitamin C helps slow the clogging of arteries, lower blood pressure and enhance the functionality of blood vessels. It’s great news because you know you need all the blood vessel help you can get with all the McDonald’s you eat.
Vitamin C may also be able to shun cancer like Britney Spears at a feminist convention. It may lower your risks of getting bladder, esophagus, stomach and lung cancer. Some scientists are even optimistic that taking vitamin C intravenously may also treat existing cancer; research has shown that when cancer cells are injected with vitamin C, it triggers the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which in turn kills the cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
Vitamin C helps fight off age-related macular degeneration [AMD] (aka blindness). AMD affects more women than men and if you’re overweight (those pants don’t make you look fat …) or have a family history, you are at an even higher risk of developing AMD. So our lovely Binghamton female students should consider consuming more orange juice.
Another incentive, vitamin C prevents wrinkles. That’s right; it forms collagen, which smooths those fine lines. (Note: Pouring orange juice over your face and body will not prevent wrinkles. Must be consumed in order to have desired effects.)