When it comes to Vitamin C intake for young children, is more necessarily better?

What is Vitamin C Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is one of the important water soluble vitamins. It is essential for collagen, carnitine and neurotransmitters biosynthesis. Most plants and animals synthesize ascorbic acid for their own requirement. However, apes and humans are not able to synthesize ascorbic acid due to the lack of an enzyme gluconolactone oxidase. Hence, ascorbic acid has to be supplemented mainly through fruits, vegetables, and tablets. The current US recommended daily allowance (RDA) for ascorbic acid ranges between 100–120 mg/per day for adults.

Many parents are concerned when their children tend to avoid certain food items. These children are known as “picky eaters”, but this does not always correlate to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Before considering supplementing the child’ diet with a multivitamin tablet, it will be important to seek a medical opinion to see if the child has a nutritional deficiency. For children with restricted diets like those with allergies, intolerances and vegan or plant-based diets, nutritional deficiency is more commonly seen.