I talk a lot about how good vitamin C is for your skin. I also talk a lot about the importance of antioxidants for keeping your skin healthy and youthful. So you may be surprised to hear that vitamin C can be described as a pro-oxidant, that is, a creator of oxidative stress. Here's why that's actually a good thing.
According to research published in Scientific Reports, high doses of vitamin C can indeed generate high doses of oxidative stress that can kill cells. But it seems that these effects only target cancer cells. In the published study, the researchers exposed both breast cancer and colon cancer cells to vitamin C and found that the vitamin dramatically changed their metabolic profiles. In particular, the vitamin C seemed to deplete a key component of how the cancer cells generated energy.
Vitamin C is currently being investigated as a promising cancer treatment, especially in high doses. For day-to-day use, of course, it's both safe for our normal cells and actually quite good for them, whether you use it inside or out.
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A review report published last year in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology highlighted the benefits of topical vitamin C, which include antioxidative, photoprotective, antiaging, and antipigmentary effects. The review, which evaluated a number of other studies on vitamin C, found that vitamin C can help prevent skin cancer from UV radiation. And it can keep skin looking youthful by supporting the natural creation of collagen and keeping existing collagen strong and healthy.
We talk a lot about how certain nutrients can benefit the skin from both the inside and out. But it's even better to get to highlight a nutrient's ability to prevent cancer from both the inside and out. I'm sure you're vigilant about applying sunscreen to your face, but some UV radiation is bound to sneak past your defenses occasionally.
A high quality product like the Système 41 Vitamin C Serum can add one more layer of protection and help you track down and destroy cancer cells that might show up on your skin. Of course, eating a diet high in vitamin C can contribute to a cancer-protective lifestyle as well. It's true that vitamin C can help you ward off a cold. But as it turns out, it can do so much more.
To your health, naturally,
Janet Zand
Sources:
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep13896.
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