The 6-carbon lactone known as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is an important water-soluble
vitamin. It is essential for preserving optimal health and it is used by the body for many
purposes, including collagen biosynthesis, melanin reduction and enhanced immunity. This
book addresses some important issues related to various methods which are employed to
encapsulate asorbic acid. A comparation of the characteristics of ascorbic acid nano and
microparticles prepared by different methods is also given. Furthermore, the biomedical
significance of human vitamin C metabolism is examined, in the light of polymorphisms in
xenobiotic enzymes deduced from genetic, biochemical and epidemiological results to
estimate optimal nutrition. Additionally, Vitamin C exerts a protective role against some
types of cancer. For that reason, this book investigates the protective effect of vitamin C.
Possible pro- and antioxidant effects of vitamin C are also presented and their extrapolation
on human health is discussed. Other chapters in this book include a review of the role of
vitamin C in the physiology of several diseases, good dietary sources of vitamin C, a study of
the effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on vitamin C status in exposed
populations and the role of vitamin C in human reproduction and its effect on people who
suffer from epileptic seizures.