Several days ago, I went to Jakarta for a business presentation. For the presentation, I have to make a demo application and the job was given to me the day before. So I rolled up my sleeve and started to butcher myself for the impossible task. Long story short, I did not finish the demo application, eventhough I worked through the night. So we went to Jakarta with everything we got: a decent presentation slide made by my manager, and a not so decent demo application made by me.
I always get a little edgy about trip to Jakarta by car because I get car sick easily on a long way trip. Yes, I know that Jakarta via Toll Way Cipularang is not that far away, but still I am not keen on long travel by car. First off, I didn’t have much sleep the day before, since I was doing the demo application, and in the morning, I also didn’t have a good meal for breakfast. It got worse when at the start of the journey, I still try to work with my laptop, of course in a moving car headed toward Jakarta. When I read during a travel by car, I feel dizzy instantly, and guess what, I feel dizzy instantly when I try to code in a moving car (d’oh).
I bring myself a small bottle of You-C1000, a Vitamin C supplement which boasts 1000 mg of vitamin C, and drink it while on the road. I like its flavor and I thought it will make myself a little better for not having enough sleep and eat. After the presentation, (this post is not about my job, mind you, so no story about it) we went to several other places, and on the way home, I just wanted to have another bottle of You-C1000. After having half of my second dose of the Vitamin C supplement (making about 1500++ mg in total of my vitamin C intake that day), I felt nauseaous, and my stomach felt bloated. I thought it was another attack of my car sick and I tried to sleep over it. But after a while, I think it was not the car sick, since when I get car sick I think I never feel my stomach bloated. And I became suspiscious about the vitamin supplement.
After I got to Bandung, and had my laptop connected to the Internet, I googled what amount of vitamin C should a person take daily. I am being referenced to the wikipedia entry about Vitamin C, and when I got to the section Daily Requirement, I was surprised to see that the United States’ National Academy of Sciences in their US Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) recommends only as little as 90 mg of vitamin C for a male adult and 75 mg for a female adult. Other agencies like United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency and the World Health Organization recommend even lower amount, about 40-45 mg per day. The US RDA also stated that the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of vitamin C is 2000 mg per day. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level of a substance is the maximum amount of that substance which is unlikely to pose negative effects when consumed (via food, drink, and supplement).
The entry suggested that a large amount of vitamin C will not produce a dangerous effect because of its low toxicity. But it also stated that the common side-effects of a relatively large dose are indigestion and diarrhea, especially when taken on an empty stomach; and for an excessive continuous intake: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, flushing of the face, headache, fatigue, disturbed sleep, and skin rashes.
My little research showed that I might had too much vitamin C, but it was not really conclusive. For a safe bet, I think I will take only 1000 mg of vitamin C supplement maximum per day, especially when I have an empty stomach and not enough sleep.
I wonder if our own Indonesian Health Department have a site like UK’s EatWell and Food that use easy to understand language and a user friendly layout to promote health. I also wonder if they also produce such standards or recommendations about what Indonesian dietary intake should be like.
Update 2007-05-22:
The You C-1000 ads with the miss universe (Amelia Vega, Natalie Glebova, Zuleyka Rivera) were made exclusively for Indonesian market, since You C-1000 is an Indonesian brand for (then) Takeda Food’s (now House-wf) C-1000. I also found some interesting articles or sites about this product:
