I would drink my orange juice and eat my green peppers even if  it weren’t  for research linking vitamin C to prevention of cancer.

Some of my reasons are the same ones that bolster the advice to eat more fruits and vegetables that supply carotene.  Like these plant foods rich in vitamin A, foods rich in vitamin C are also low in saturated fat and sodium.

What’s more, fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C are cholesterol-free. And they provide small to moderate amounts of dietary fiber. Eaten in large amounts,  the fiber in these fruits and vegetables helps to lower blood cholesterol levels.

There is more. Vitamin C is rarely recognized for its role in iron absorption. Yet we have known for many years that vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron.

The extent of iron deficiency in the United State and most industry countries have been greatly exaggerated, I believe, but there are probably more people taking in too little iron than is the case for other nutrients.

Because the body absorbs only about 10 percent of the iron taken in, factors that increase iron absorption are just as important as iron-rich food. In fact, some scientists believe that increasing absorption of iron, rather than boosting iron intake, is the key to improving iron nutrition. They may be right on target.

At moderate levels – such as 50 to 100 mg – vitamin C has been found to improve iron absorption by as much as 50 percent. Higher doses may result in even higher absorption. But very few of us truly need such as assist.

Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron in foods that are eaten at the same meal. The vitamin C in breakfast foods, for example, has little or no effect on the iron in foods eaten at lunch or dinner.

For some people, however, this is not good news. A small number of people have a condition that causes them to retain too much iron, which accumulates in various organs, causing health problems. People who have this condition should consult their physicians for advice about diet.

I would love to tell you that vitamin C will also help protect you from heart disease. But I cannot, because I am not at all convinced by these claims.

I have looked carefully at evidence that vitamin C lowers blood cholesterol levels. But I found other studies in which vitamin C supplements appeared to have raised the cholesterol level. Some studies show no difference. I really do not hold out much hope for an effect here.

But what more can you want from vitamin C? It does not have to play a role in prevention of every disease in order to be taken seriously.

In my opinion, vitamin C is as important today as it was two centuries ago, when the mysterious disease  called scurvy threatened the lives of sailors who spent months without fresh fruits and vegetables. It is hard to disagree with the advice to make more room for this familiar vitamin in our diets.