It turns out that vitamin C is a switch for gene activation inside mouse stem cells. A recent study that was conducted by UC San Francisco researchers made it possible to help guide normal development in mice, humans and animals, improving results of in vitro fertilization and growing healthy stem cells in the near future. What happens is that vitamin C assists a specific group of enzymes called “Tet” which are activated during the early stages of fertilization and development. This collaboration acts upon removing specific molecules called methylene groups. These groups when added to DNA at certain points through out the genetic material stop particular genes from being activated.
The researchers also revealed that Tet enzymes need vitamin C for optimal activity as they remove the stop groups in gene activation. Such properties may help maintain healthy stem cell populations in adults, because, as shown in prior studies, scientists found out that many adult tissues have stem cells, which are able to generate a wide range of cell types found with in certain tissues. Although vitamins C seems to be very important, humans can’t synthesize their own vitamin C like most animals can, humans have to incorporate it in their daily diet. It turned out to be a great supplement for healthy living, because vitamin C has many favorable functions such as being an antioxidant, which prevents chemical damage and it plays a huge part in maintaining good cardiovascular, eye and immune health, along with its role in cancer and stroke prevention.