HEALTH: Vitamin that helps breath

Vitamin C could open your lung’s airways and prevent the coughing and wheezing that sometimes accompany exercise, finds a study from the University of Helsinki in Finland.

•Working out causes shortness of breath among 10 per cent of all people, and up to 50 per cent of competitive athletes, but popping just 500 to 1,000mg of vitamin C slashes symptoms of broncho constriction — i.e. airway tightening — by 50 per cent, compared to a placebo, explains study author Harri Hemilä, M.D., Ph.D.

•Exercise causes your body to release histamine and other compounds that can cause the muscle tissue around your lung’s airways to tighten and contract.

•Some research indicates Vitamin C may limit that muscle-tissue-tightening response to histamine compounds, Dr. Hemilä adds.

•Vitamin C is safe and inexpensive, Dr. Hemilä says. And while it’s not going to replace your inhaler any time soon, Dr. Hemilä suggests trying 1,000 mg of C two hours before you work out if you suffer from breathing difficulties.

•Although the USDA recommends 90mg of vitamin C daily, you can safely take up to 2,000 without worrying about side effects like diarrhoea or nausea, says Manuel Villacorta, M.S., R.D.

•“The vitamin is water soluble, so your body flushes out whatever you don’t need,” he explains.

•Not a fan of supplements? Foods like oranges, bell peppers, and organic tomatoes are loaded with C, too.