What’s the Right Amount of Vitamin C for Women Each Day?

Vitamin C might not be the cure-all some claim it to be, but this essential nutrient plays a vital role in your health from supporting your immune system to keeping your skin firm and radiant. While it’s not something your body can produce on its own, you can easily meet your needs with the right foods (or, when necessary, a supplement).

So how much vitamin C does a woman need per day? And can you actually take too much? Let’s break it down.

Why Women Need Vitamin C

Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin found in many fruits and vegetables. While it’s famous for supporting your immune system, its benefits go far beyond fighting off a cold. Vitamin C:

• Acts as a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes harmful free radicals

• Plays a key role in the formation of collagen, which helps keep your skin, bones, and connective tissue healthy

• Supports wound healing and iron absorption from plant-based foods

• Helps maintain the integrity of blood vessels and supports cardiovascular health

Though vitamin C deficiency is rare in countries with access to fresh produce, it’s still possible particularly in people with restrictive diets or certain gastrointestinal conditions. Classic symptoms of deficiency include fatigue, joint pain, and in severe cases, scurvy (yes, it still exists).

Recommended Daily Amount for Women

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin C for women is 75 mg per day. For context, that’s about:

• 1 medium orange (70 mg)

• ½ cup raw red bell pepper (95 mg)

• ¾ cup fresh strawberries (65 mg)

• 1 cup cooked broccoli (100 mg)

If you’re pregnant, your needs increase slightly to 85 mg per day, and if you’re breastfeeding, it’s 120 mg per day. Smokers may also need more due to increased oxidative stress the NIH recommends adding an extra 35 mg daily.

Can You Take Too Much Vitamin C?

Yes, but the risks are relatively mild. Vitamin C is water-soluble, which means your body flushes out what it doesn’t need. That said, the tolerable upper limit for adults is 2,000 mg per day. Going above that can lead to:

• Diarrhea

• Nausea

• Stomach cramps

It’s also worth noting that absorption rates drop significantly with higher doses. According to Francesco-Maria Serino, MD, PhD, doses above 100 mg result in less efficient absorption and anything over 1,000 mg means less than 50% of that vitamin C actually gets used. The rest? It’s eliminated in your urine.

Best Sources of Vitamin C

Supplements can help in a pinch, but food should be your first line of defense. Whole foods provide a complex mix of nutrients that work synergistically and they’re more easily absorbed. Some excellent sources of vitamin C include:

• Bell peppers

• Guava (206 mg per fruit!)

• Broccoli

• Brussels sprouts

• Kiwi

• Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruit

A balanced diet with a few servings of fruits and vegetables daily is usually more than enough to meet your vitamin C needs.

Should You Take Extra When You’re Sick?

There’s a common belief that vitamin C can shorten the duration of colds or even prevent them. While vitamin C supports immune function, evidence doesn’t strongly support high-dose supplements to treat or prevent colds.

Some research, including a meta-analysis from the Cochrane Database, found that while routine supplementation doesn't prevent illness, it may shorten the duration of colds slightly by about one day in certain people.

Still, adding more whole foods rich in vitamin C when you’re under the weather is a safe and healthy strategy.

Bottom Line

For most women, 75 mg of vitamin C per day is enough and you can easily get that from food. While supplements are generally safe in moderate amounts, going overboard won’t give you extra protection and may cause stomach discomfort.

Rather than popping megadoses, aim to fill your plate with vibrant, colorful produce your skin, immune system, and heart will thank you.

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