Let's be clear about one thing: Vitamin C is definitely a rockstar where supporting health is concerned—it’s an antioxidant and helps support normal immune function.*
While it might seem like a good case for adding this nutrient into a multivitamin, the truth is, additional vitamin C supplementation might not be necessary. Many of us consume plenty of vitamin C in an ideal way already: through food first. (That said, there may be cases where targeted supplementation can be helpful.)*
But before we dive into all that, let's take a quick crash course on vitamin C's role in the body.
First Up: The Role of Vitamin C
According to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin C has a host of supportive benefits, playing a role in supporting the immune system and iron absorption (similar to how vitamin D plays a role in supporting calcium absorption). The role of vitamin C is often related to its reduced form, ascorbate, which has been shown to have powerful antioxidant properties (one of which is the ability to fight against free radicals).* (1, 2)