Sodium ascorbate sources, health risks
Wednesday, October 11, 2017 by Jhoanna Robinson
http://www.naturalpedia.com/sodium-ascorbate-sources-health-risks.html
Sodium ascorbate, a six-carbon compound that has close relations to glucose, can be obtained naturally via eating citrus fruits and vegetables. Sodium ascorbate, which is also called ascorbic acid or vitamin C, is needed by the human body to provide for connective tissue and bone health.
Sodium ascorbate’s biologically active form, vitamin C, is a reducing agent and coenzyme that works in several metabolic pathways. It is described as having a white crystalline appearance, with pH levels of aqueous solutions 5.6 to 7.0 or even higher (a 10 percent solution, made from a commercial grade, may have a pH of 7.4 to 7.7). It darkens on exposure to light.
Solutions of sodium ascorbate readily oxidizes when exposed to air and alkaline media; therefore, it should be protected from air and light.
Sodium ascorbate serves its purpose as a chemical preservative in food. It can even be used as a food supplement as your body can absorb it at a much greater efficiency than vitamin C.
Sodium ascorbate functions as an antioxidant, fighting harmful free radicals that cause damage to otherwise healthy cells in the body and causing damaging effects such as premature aging and the growth and development of carcinogenic tumors and cells.
As an antioxidant, sodium ascorbate also reverses the debilitating effects of oxidation in animal tissues. As a matter of fact, it is a superoxide radical scavenger.
Sodium ascorbate helps well with speeding up the process of metabolism. Sodium ascorbate aids in the fast reparation of organs and tissues as well, particularly when graded concentrations of calcium chloride are mixed to bathing solution minus Ca2 + ions but with acetylcholine.
Sodium ascorbate is good for the female reproductive system. It is said to treat ovarian cancer.
Sodium ascorbate is good for the ocular system. A lack of vitamin C in the cornea can lead to the degeneration of the stromal cells, which are connective tissues of any organ. Topical application of 10 percent sodium ascorbate eyedrops can decrease incidences of ulceration of rabbit corneas.
However, even if sodium ascorbate boasts of these medicinal effects, too much of it can cause detrimental effects to the body.
Harmful effects that can be caused by sodium ascorbate
Sodium ascorbate is broken into two compounds whenever you ingest it: the ascorbate that acts as a vitamin C and the one that serves as a sodium ion. This means that when you consume sodium ascorbate, you have just taken your sodium intake for the day – an excess of sodium ascorbate intake of consumption of foods that are rich in sodium could result in high blood pressure over a prolonged period of time, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
Another major disadvantage of sodium ascorbate overdose is genetic mutation in your cells, leading to abnormal cell behavior that can cause cancer or birth defects in a developing fetus.
Body systems harmed by sodium ascorbate
Sodium ascorbate is bad for the excretory system. It heightens the risk of kidney damage and the formation of kidney stones. Your kidneys have thousands of specialized structures called nephrons that function as blood filtering units by keeping nutrients in the bloodstream while processing waste products into the urine.
The nephrons get damaged when there is too much sodium ascorbate supplementation, which can bring about the formation of crystals within the kidney, eventually leading to the formation of kidney stones. Reduce your vitamin C intake to 1,000 milligrams a day to prevent such an event form happening, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).
Where to learn more
Summary
Sodium ascorbate is bad for the excretory system.
Sodium ascorbate causes genetic mutation in the cells.
Sodium ascorbate can cause kidney stones.
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