How much vitamin C do you need?

Choose your age group and situation to see the NIH Recommended Dietary Allowance and upper limit. The figures are for healthy people and are not medical advice.

75mg a dayyour Recommended Dietary Allowance

One serving is about 13 times your RDA and half the upper limit of 2,000 mg a day from food and supplements together.

The NIH figures behind the calculator

Vitamin C RDA and upper limit by age, NIH (mg a day)
Age	Male	Female	Pregnancy	Breastfeeding	Upper limit
1 to 3 years	15	15			400
4 to 8 years	25	25			650
9 to 13 years	45	45			1,200
14 to 18 years	75	65	80	115	1,800
19 years and older	90	75	85	120	2,000

People who smoke need 35 mg a day more than people who do not. The upper limit counts vitamin C from food, drinks and supplements together, and it does not apply to people given vitamin C under medical care. Too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps. NIH cautions people with hemochromatosis about high doses and notes that vitamin C may interact with chemotherapy, radiation therapy and statins taken with niacin.

Every the Ester-C family serving is 1,000 mg, so one serving a day stays at half the adult limit. For more context, read How much vitamin C do you need a day?.