Vitamin C Deficiency and How to Fix It

Vitamin deficiency is nothing new in the world today. There are many people worldwide who suffer from one. One vitamin that people are deficient in is vitamin C. If left untreated, a deficiency in this vitamin can have serious consequences. Continue reading to learn more about vitamin C deficiency.

What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is one of the thirteen essential vitamins. It is also a water-soluble nutrient. This means that it cannot be stored in the body. Water-soluble vitamins must be taken daily in order to avoid a deficiency.

The amount of vitamin C you need to take each day depends on your age. Newborns should be getting around 40 mg daily until they are around 7 months old when they need 50 mg.

Children need to get anywhere between 15 mg to 45 mg depending on how old they are. Boys in their teens need to get around 75 mg each day while girls of the same age need only 65 mg daily.

It is recommended that adult men get 90 mg and adult women get 75 mg each day. Pregnant women should get that daily amount up to 85 mg and breastfeeding women need to go further and get 120 mg daily. That is because they are also providing nutrients for their babies.

Vitamin C Deficiency

Vitamin C deficiency is rare in the United States because most people get the amounts they need through diet. However, there are some people who still suffer from it. People who go without vitamin C for long periods of time are at risk of scurvy.

The National Institutes of Health state that scurvy can cause many things such as fatigue inflammation of the gums, small spots on the skin, poor wound healing, joint pain, and corkscrew hairs. They also state that "People with scurvy can also develop anemia," and that "Scurvy is fatal if not treated."

Food

This deficiency may seem like a big threat, however, combating it is very simple. All you need to do is get the recommended amounts on a daily basis. You can get the amount from a wide variety of foods. These include:

• Citrus Fruits: The most common source of vitamin C is citrus fruits. These are oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, and many more.
• Red Bell Peppers: Although they are not as commonly used as citrus fruits, red bell pepper are a great source of vitamin C. In fact, they contain around double the vitamin c than citrus.
• Fruits & Veggies: Strawberries, cantaloupe, broccoli, baked potatoes, and tomatoes all also have little amounts of vitamin C.
• Fortified Foods: Vitamin C is also added to many foods such as breakfast cereals. You can check the label to find out if yours if fortified.

Supplements

You can also combat vitamin C deficiency by using supplements. Here at Liquid Health, we manufacture supplements that contain vitamin C. These include:

• Attention
• Children's Complete Multiple
• Children's Multi
• Complete Multiple
• Daily Multiple
• Immune Balance
• Prenatal Multi
• Skin Rescue & Renew

Conclusion

There are many ways that you can combat vitamin c deficiency. If you do decide that you are going to supplement for any vitamin, with any brand, it is important to remember that these are to help support a healthy diet, and not to replace one.

For more information about any of these products, please visit our website to learn more. Be sure to also check out one of our previous posts about Vitamin A Deficiency.