How much Vitamin C do you need each day?

Men and women need just under 100 mg of Vitamin C each day. This is slightly more than one small orange a day. While an apple a day is certainly great for you, oranges and other citrus fruits tend to be some of the best sources for Vitamin C.

Professionally Reviewed by Charles Li, MD

Key Points

Vitamin C Requirements

Why you need vitamin c

Your body needs to obtain all of its daily Vitamin C from your diet. Unlike Vitamin D, you cannot make it on your own.

What's it used for?

Your body uses Vitamin C to grow and repair itself, particularly when it comes to wound healing. Vitamin C also plays a role in fighting off immunity.

Where can you get vitamin C?

Fruits and vegetables tend to be great sources of your daily Vitamin C requirements. We list some of the best examples below.

Adults

Vitamin C Daily Requirements

Men and women need just under 100 mg of Vitamin C each day. This translates to slightly more than one small orange a day. While an apple a day is certainly great for you, oranges and other citrus fruits tend to be some of the best sources for Vitamin C.

The chart above compares the amount of Vitamin C needed by adult men and women. Men need 90 milligrams of Vitamin C each day. Women need 75 mg of Vitamin C. We compare this amount to the amount of Vitamin C found in common fruits. An orange has nearly all the Vitamin C an adult needs in a day. This information was sourced from the Office of Dietary Supplements within the NIH.

Children

Daily Vitamin C Requirements

The amount of Vitamin C that children require each day depends mostly on their age. Young babies tend to need more. After age 1, the amount of Vitamin C that a child needs grows with age, and with diet. By the time they reach their teenage years, children will need nearly as much Vitamin C as an adult.

The chart above shows the relative amounts of Vitamin C needed by children as they grow up. At age 1, children only need 15mg of Vitamin C. This increases with age until adulthood when they need 90mg for men and 75mg for women.

Background

Vitamin C

The Importance of Vitamin C

Vitamin C is one of the most well-known, and important, vitamins. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to get as long as you eat a healthy diet. We outline all of the key functions and benefits of Vitamin C below.

Key Facts

Key Functions

Vitamin C

Key Facts

Type
Essential, Water soluble
Other Names
ascorbic acid
Daily Allowance
Women: 75mg, Men:90mg

Appearance

Key Sources

Fruits

Vegetables

Peas

Vitamin C

Key Functions

Collagen

Your body needs Vitamin C to create collagen, a critical component of joints and connective tissue.

Wound Healing

Vitamin C helps your body heal wounds

Immunity

Vitamin C helps your body fight off infection

Top Benefits

Vitamin C

click for the latest research

immunity

vision

blood pressure

brain health

Benefit #1

Cold Prevention

Did you know that vitamin C might help prevent the common cold? Marathon runners and soldiers who received vitamin C were significantly less likely to catch a cold. Studies have also found that you may recover faster from a cold with Vitamin C supplements.

A meta-analysis of 29 trials found that taking vitamin C can slightly lower your risk of getting the cold. RR 0.97 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.94 to 1.00). Among skiers, marathon runners, and soldiers in subarctic exercises, this was much more effective, with a approx. 50% risk reduction: 0.48 (95% CI 0.35 to 0.64)

Vitamin C Benefit #2

Brain Health

Vitamin C also helps keep your brain healthy as you age. Studies have shown that those eat a diet rich in Vitamin C have a lower risk of cognitive impairment, a condition where your mind deteriorates with age.

Vitamin C Benefit #3

Heart Disease

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables correlates with a lower risk of heart disease. It can also help lower your blood pressure.

A meta-analysis of 95 studies showed that generally, high fruit and vegetable consumption is correlated with a lower risk of heart disease 0.84 (95% CI: 0.76–0.92) and a lower risk of stroke: 0.92 (95% CI: 0.90–0.95)

Vitamin Guides

Chapter 1: Vitamin A

Chapter 2: Vitamin C

Chapter 3: Vitamin D