Tiempo de lectura: 3 minutos
La vitamina C es necesaria para producir colágeno, una de las fibras que forman el cuerpo de tu bebé. Por lo tanto, no es de extrañar que necesites consumir más vitamina C durante el embarazo. Afortunadamente, es fácil obtener un suministro adecuado a través de una dieta que incluya muchas frutas y verduras.
Conoce los beneficios de la vitamina C durante el embarazo, cómo puede ayudar a la absorción de hierro y qué alimentos son las mejores fuentes.
La vitamina C o solo refuerza tu sistema inmunológico y reduce el riesgo de sufrir anemia por deficiencia de hierro durante el embarazo, sino que también es clave para el desarrollo físico de tu bebé.
Vitamina C:
La ingesta diaria recomendada de vitamina C durante el embarazo, la cantidad que se considera suficiente para satisfacer las necesidades de la mayoría de las personas, es de 50 mg por día, que es un 25% más de lo que necesitarías normalmente. Una porción de 100 g de fresas contiene 57 mg. Si decides amamantar a tu bebé, no deberías necesitar hacer ningún cambio en tu dieta, pero siempre es una buena idea comer de manera saludable. Puedes consultar con tu profesional de la salud si deseas más consejos. Lee más sobre una dieta saludable para amamantar.
Dado que es una vitamina soluble en agua, tu cuerpo no la almacena, lo que significa que una ingesta diaria durante el embarazo es esencial. Afortunadamente, puedes obtener toda la vitamina C que necesitas para ti y para tu bebé a través de una dieta de embarazo saludable y equilibrada que incluya muchas frutas y verduras4.
Los alimentos ricos en vitamina C incluyen brócoli, coliflor, col rizada, kiwi, frutas cítricas, pimiento rojo, verde o amarillo, camote, fresas y tomates.
Los pimientos tienen más del doble de vitamina C que las naranjas. Contienen alrededor de 126 mg por 100 g, mientras que las naranjas solo contienen 52 mg de vitamina C por 100 g5.
El siguiente gráfico muestra la cantidad de vitamina C que proporcionan diferentes alimentos6:
| Alimento | Porción | Cantidad promedio de nutriente (mcg) |
|---|---|---|
| Pimientos rojos | 100g | 126 |
| Brócoli (crudo o al vapor) | 100g | 79 |
| Fresas | 100g | 57 |
| Col (cruda, verde o blanca) | 100g | 45 |
| Frutas cítricas (las naranjas son la mejor opción) | 100g | 42-52 |
| Jugo de naranja | 100g | 40 |
| Tomate (cocinado es mejor) | 100g | 30 |
| Espinaca | 100g | 30 |
Al igual que con otras vitaminas solubles en agua, la forma en que preparas y cocinas tus alimentos puede afectar el contenido de vitamina C5.
Hervir puede destruir parte de la vitamina C de los alimentos que estás preparando. Para conservar la mayor cantidad posible de nutrientes, lo mejor es cocinar al vapor o asar las verduras5. O mejor aún, comerlas crudas en ensaladas.
La vitamina C ayuda al cuerpo a absorber el hierro no hemínico, del tipo que se encuentra en fuentes vegetales como las espinacas y los garbanzos. Consumir buenas fuentes de vitamina C con fuentes vegetales de hierro durante el embarazo puede aumentar considerablemente la ingesta diaria7. Para aprovechar al máximo el hierro de tu dieta, incluye frutas y fuentes de hierro en la misma comida, ya sea agregando fruta picada a una ensalada o comiendo una fruta entera de postre7.
Una ingesta adecuada de hierro es esencial para apoyar el mayor volumen de sangre y reducir el riesgo de anemia por deficiencia de hierro, y para ayudar a acumular las reservas de hierro de tu bebé para apoyar su aprendizaje y crecimiento durante los primeros 6 meses de vida. Lee más sobre la importancia del hierro en tu dieta durante el embarazo.
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Revisado por última vez: 28 de julio del 2020
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Descubre los beneficios de consumir vitamina C, vitamina B12 y vitamina B6 durante el embarazo.
Vitamina B6
Para combatir las náuseas en el primer trimestre, los médicos recomiendan 25 mg de vitamina B6 cada 8 horas, mientras que en el tercer trimestre, tu cuerpo necesita 1.9 mg al día para mantenerse al día con el aumento de las necesidades Protéicas.
Las mujeres que se encuentran lactando deben continuar consumiendo 2. 0 mg de vitamina B6 todos los días.
Vitamina B12
Los médicos recomiendan que las mujeres embarazadas consuman 2.6 microgramos de potasio al día. Las mujeres en período de lactancia deben consumir 2.8 microgramos de vitamina B12 al día.
Vitamina C
La cantidad diaria recomendada para las mujeres embarazadas es de 80 a 85 mg de vitamina C al día. Las madres en período de lactancia necesitan entre 115 a 120 mg por día.
Consulta a tu médico.
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Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is useful for metabolism, hormone production, protection against free radicals. It also helps the body fight infections – doctors prescribe vitamin C for colds and flu. Means based on it are used to prevent frequent SARS.
Ascorbic acid is needed by all organs and tissues. But the human body does not produce it and does not accumulate. Therefore, foods and preparations with a high vitamin content should be consumed daily. We will tell you where ascorbic acid is contained, how to choose and take the drug correctly.
Ascorbic acid is involved in the most important processes of the body:
● Synthesizes collagen – fibers that strengthen connective tissue. If there is enough vitamin C, the walls of blood vessels retain elasticity, and the skin remains youthful.
● Produces sex and adrenal hormones.
● It has an antioxidant effect – protects against reactive oxygen compounds that provoke aging and the development of malignant tumors.
● Strengthens the immune system. 1
The lack of ascorbic acid (hypovitaminosis C) leads to fatigue, decreased performance, constant colds. And its pronounced deficiency (avitaminosis C) causes scurvy, which leads to anemia, affects the joints and gums. Vitamin deficiency is rare in developed countries, and hypovitaminosis is a common problem.
Ascorbic acid is often prescribed for the treatment and prevention of colds. It works in several directions at once:
● Increases immunity. Resistance to viruses cannot depend only on drugs – the body must be able to resist infections. Ascorbic acid affects all parts of the immune response: it promotes the production of antiviral interferons and antibodies.
● Reduces the impact of adverse factors leading to colds. Bad ecology creates an additional burden on the immune system. Vitamin C supports it by neutralizing the harmful effects of free radicals and reduces the risk of developing diseases and exacerbations.
● Helps to bear the disease more easily.
Ascorbic acid for colds and flu has an anti-inflammatory effect, reduces intoxication of the body.
Unlike many prescription drugs, vitamin C is safe. It dissolves in water, is absorbed into the intestinal wall, and the excess is easily excreted from the body. The use of ascorbic acid practically does not cause side effects and overdose. 2
Vitamin C must be taken daily. The daily dose is about 30–120 mg, but the exact dosage depends on the individual characteristics of the body, lifestyle, and medication. The maximum safe dose is 2-3 g.
Average daily requirement for ascorbic acid (mg): 3.4.5
● Children – 30-60.
● Teenagers – 80.
● Adults – 70-100. The minimum dose of vitamin C required by pregnant women is 60 mg, while nursing mothers need 80 mg.
In higher doses of ascorbic acid need:
● smokers and people who drink alcohol;
● everyone who is on mono-diets;
● women taking combined hormonal contraceptives or undergoing estrogen therapy for menopause;
● patients who are treated for a long time with corticosteroids, acetylsalicylic acid, antibiotics, calcium preparations;
● Patients exposed to influenza and ARVI viruses;
● residents of latitudes with extremely cold or hot climates and those who are constantly exposed to hypothermia/overheating;
● Elderly – The dose depends on chronic diseases and their treatment.
To determine if you have hypovitaminosis and calculate an individual dose, take a blood test for vitamin C.
During the outbreak of SARS, vitamin C increases the body’s resistance. Studies have shown that a daily intake of 200 mg of ascorbic acid reduces the incidence of acute respiratory viral infections by 50%, and in those who are sick, it speeds up recovery. 6
For a quick recovery from a cold, symptomatic treatment or taking vitamins is not enough. It is important to use drugs directed specifically against the causative agent of the disease. With the viral nature of the disease – influenza, SARS – the patient is shown broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. An effective new tool that helps to suppress the action of a variety of pathogens that cause viral infections is Nobasit. Taking the drug Nobasit in combination with ascorbic acid, the daily dosage of which is determined by the relevant instructions for medical use, increases the body’s resistance to SARS and influenza. 7
Our body can get ascorbic acid from food and from vitamin preparations. Some people believe that pharmacy forms are less useful and less digestible, but this is not so.
Vitamin C is rich in plant foods – fruits, berries, vegetables. Main sources of vitamin C (per 100 g of product): 8
● Sea buckthorn, currant – 200 mg;
● Kiwi – 180 mg;
● Dill – 100 mg;
● Cauliflower – 70 mg;
● Oranges, bell peppers – 60 m;
● Spinach – 55 mg;
● White cabbage, grapefruits – 45 mg;
● Sorrel – 43 mg;
● Lemons – 40 mg;
● Mandarin – 38 mg;
● Garlic – 30 mg;
● Radishes, tomatoes, onions, raspberries – 25 mg.
In order for the body to receive enough ascorbic acid, you can eat a lemon, or an orange, or 4-5 apples daily. A good source of the vitamin is freshly squeezed juices. To close the daily need for vitamin C, it is enough to drink 116 ml of lemon juice, 150 ml of orange, or 1 liter of apple. 9
Vitamin C is destroyed during heat treatment and long-term storage of fruits. In addition, with many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the use of raw fruits and vegetables is not recommended. An alternative is ready-made preparations with ascorbic acid.
In pharmacy vitamin preparations, the concentration of ascorbic acid is higher than in products.
Natural preparations are made from natural raw materials – rose hips, currant leaves, rowan berries. They are dried and crushed to make syrups. Dried fruits and leaves have a lower concentration of vitamin C, but do not contain auxiliary substances – sweeteners, dyes. Such components may have contraindications – allergies, some metabolic diseases.
Tablets and powders are synthesized artificially. However, they are just as safe and effective as natural ones – they repeat the processes of natural synthesis in the laboratory. They are more convenient to take and dose, but they also contain excipients that cause individual intolerance. Contraindications are indicated in the instructions for each drug.
Vitamin C is produced in tablets with glucose, as part of multivitamin complexes. Pure synthetic ascorbic acid without additives is also on sale – powder in sachets with a dosage of 2.5 g. Monopreparations (containing only ascorbic acid) are better to choose if you need an increased intake of vitamin C. Complex preparations contain the daily norm of all essential vitamins.
Ascorbic acid is not recommended to be taken together or sequentially with certain antibiotics, warfarin, estrogens, vitamin B12, preparations with copper, selenium. Keep an interval of at least 2-3 hours between them.
Taking vitamin C reduces the effectiveness of:
● drugs against thrombosis – heparin, indirect anticoagulants;
● psychotropic drugs – neuroleptics;
● means based on alkaloids – some antitumor, antitussive, lowering blood pressure;
● biologically active additives – copper and selenium.
If you are taking these medications, talk to your doctor about taking vitamin C.
Refrain from high doses of vitamin C if you need to take a biochemical blood test. Ascorbic acid can distort the result of liver parameters, blood glucose 4 .
Vitamin C in doses greater than the daily dose is contraindicated in case of individual intolerance, thrombophlebitis and a tendency to thrombosis. To assess the risk of thrombotic complications, do a blood coagulogram.
Consultation with a doctor is required if the patient:
● diabetes mellitus;
● hereditary diseases – sideroblastic anemia, thalassemia, deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, hemochromatosis;
● tendency to form stones in the urinary system;
● increased secretion of the stomach – hyperacid gastritis, peptic ulcer;
● long-term treatment with anticoagulants;
● salt-free diet.
In these cases, taking vitamin C may worsen the condition.
➢ Vitamin C increases the body’s resistance to colds, supports immunity, helps prevent illness and alleviate its course.
Vitamin C is not synthesized or stored by the body, so it must be taken daily.
➢ To prevent deficiency of ascorbic acid, eat fresh fruits, vegetables and greens in summer, drink freshly squeezed juices, and from the beginning of autumn to the end of spring, include vitamin supplements in your diet.
➢ Canned juices and long-term storage fruits contain significantly less vitamin C than fresh foods.
➢ In the treatment of colds, increased dosages of vitamin C are needed. However, like any treatment, vitamin therapy requires consultation with a doctor.
1 L.M. Zhitnikova Vitamin and mineral complexes in the prevention of influenza and SARS in adults // Medical business. – №3, 2012.
2 Timirkhanova E. A., Abdullina G.M., Kulagina I.G. Vitamin C: classical ideas and new facts about the mechanisms of biological action // Vyatka Medical Bulletin. – No. 4, 2007.
3 Abaturov A.E. The effect of vitamins on the state of the immune system in children // Health of the child – No. 6 (9), 2007.
4 Ascorbic acid // Register of Medicines of Russia.
5 Esaulenko E.E., Eremina T.V., Basov A.A., Popov K.A., Shvets O.V., Volkova N.K. The role of rational nutrition to ensure a healthy lifestyle // International Journal of Applied and Basic Research – No. 4 (1), 2017.
6 Shikh E.V. Vitamins with antioxidant properties in the prevention and treatment of acute respiratory infections in children // Questions of modern pediatrics. – T.12, No. 4, 2013.
7 Pshenichnaya N.Yu., Bulgakova V.A., Volchkova E.V., Kareva E.N., Selkova E.P., Gorodin V.N. of viral infections in Russia // Therapeutic archive No.