Abstract
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid (AA) is extremely important for humans, as it is not metabolized by the human body, it is necessary to ingest it through diet and / or supplementation. AA has several functions in the body, such as enzymatic cofactors, hormone biosynthesis and antioxidant effect. However, research reports indicate that ingesting high doses of AA may pose health risks. Therefore, the descriptive effect of the clinical application of AA was analyzed. A bibliographic review was carried out and divided into two aspects: the historical view, which was published between 1753 and 2012, and another contemporary study was carried out between 1990 and 2017. The research was carried out on the Academic Google, PubMed, Scielo, Portal de Periódicos da Capes and books, using the keywords: vitamin C, ascorbic acid, antioxidants and pro-oxidants. AA supplements are controversial and their antioxidant and pro-oxidant effects have been described. Its effectiveness in preventing and treating diabetes and cancer is questionable. Therefore, excessive AA supplementation can cause a transition from a healthy to a pathological state, triggering pro-oxidant activity. In addition, the optimal intake dose and the limit between beneficial and harmful doses are still controversial. Therefore, vitamin C should be supplemented with caution and prescribed and supervised by the medical team.
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