VITAMIN C
Vitamin C is a nutrient that is water-soluble. It is required for normal development and growth.
Vitamins that are water-soluble dissolve in water. Excess vitamin excretion from the body occurs through the urine. Although the body stores a small amount of these vitamins, they must be taken on a regular basis to avoid a deficiency.
Functions
Vitamin C is required for the growth and repair of tissues throughout your body. It is employed to:
Form an important protein that is used in the formation of skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels.
Heals wounds and creates scar tissue
Repair and upkeep of cartilage, bones, and teeth
Assist in iron absorption
What exactly is vitamin C deficiency?
A lack of vitamin C in your body is caused by a lack of sufficient amounts of vitamin C in your diet. A lack of vitamin C over time prevents the formation of new collagen.
This causes various tissues in your body to begin to break down, affecting your body’s health and repair. Persistent (chronic) vitamin C deficiency, usually over a three-month or longer period, can result in scurvy.
How widespread is vitamin C deficiency?
Scurvy caused by a lack of vitamin C is uncommon in the United Kingdom.
Certain groups of people are more vulnerable to vitamin C deficiency. They are as follows:
People who are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol and may not eat a healthy, balanced diet.
Those who follow extremely restrictive diets.
People with low incomes are less likely to consume foods high in vitamin C.
Individuals suffering from a medical condition that impairs the body’s ability to digest and absorb food, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
People over the age of 65 may eat a less varied diet.
Smokers. Smoking reduces vitamin C absorption from foods and causes vitamin C to be depleted more quickly in smokers.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women because they require more vitamin C.
What Is the Appropriate Amount of Vitamin C?
It’s fairly simple to get enough if you eat a well-balanced diet. Adult women (not pregnant or breastfeeding) require 75 milligrams of vitamin C per day, while men require 90 milligrams.
A half-cup of raw red bell pepper or 3/4 cup of orange juice will suffice, and a half-cup of cooked broccoli will get you at least halfway there. Because your body does not produce or store vitamin C, you must consume it on a daily basis.
Who is coming up short?
People who have a poor diet in general, have kidney disease and require dialysis, are heavy drinkers, and smokers are at a higher risk.
To help repair the damage caused by free radicals formed when you smoke, you’ll need an additional 35 milligrams of vitamin C per day. If you’re one of the 7% of Americans who don’t get enough vitamin C, you’ll notice symptoms within three months.
Vitamin C Deficiency Symptoms
The following are some of the first signs of vitamin C deficiency:
-Exhaustion and weakness.
-Pain in the muscles and joints.
-Easy to bruise.
-Spots on your skin that resemble tiny red-blue bruises.
Other signs and symptoms may include:
-Skin that is dry.
-Hair splitting.
-Gum swollenness and discoloration
-Unexpected and sudden bleeding from your gums.
-Nosebleeds.
-Poor wound healing.
-Problems with infection control.
-Bleeding into joints, resulting in excruciating joint pain.
-Changes in your skeleton.
-Tooth deterioration.
-Loss of weight.
These are :
Slow Healing Wounds
When you are injured, the levels of vitamin C in your blood and tissue decrease. It is required by your body to produce collagen, a protein that is involved in all stages of skin repair. And vitamin C promotes the function of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that fights infection.
Gum bleeding, nosebleeds, and bruises
Vitamin C protects your blood vessels and aids in blood clotting. Collagen is also required for strong teeth and gums. According to one study, people with gum disease who ate grapefruit for two weeks noticed that their gums bled less.
Gain in Weight
Early research has discovered a link between low vitamin C levels and increased body fat, particularly belly fat. This vitamin may also influence how efficiently your body burns fat for energy.
Wrinkled, Dry Skin
People who eat a nutritious diet high in vitamin C may have smoother, softer skin. One possible reason is that, as an antioxidant, vitamin C can help protect your skin from free radicals. These are capable of degrading oils, proteins, and even DNA.
Tired and grumpy
In a small study, 6 of 7 men with low vitamin C levels reported feeling tired and irritable. That suggests a link, though other factors could be at work. Another study of 141 office workers discovered that giving them vitamin C made them feel less tired within 2 hours, especially if their baseline level was low. The effect then lasted the rest of the day.
Immune Deficiency
Because vitamin C plays several roles in your immune system, it should come as no surprise that you’re more likely to get sick and recover more slowly if you don’t get enough of it. There is some evidence that vitamin C can help protect against illnesses like pneumonia and bladder infections. It may even reduce your risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer.
Loss of Vision
If you have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), it may worsen if you don’t get enough vitamin C, antioxidants, and minerals. Getting enough vitamin C from foods may help prevent cataracts, but more research is needed to fully understand the relationship.
Scurvy
Before the 1700s, this potentially fatal disease was a major issue for sailors. It’s rare nowadays, but it’s possible if you only get 10 mg of vitamin C per day or less. Scurvy patients also have loose teeth, cracked fingernails, joint pain, brittle bones, and corkscrew body hair. When you increase your vitamin C intake, your symptoms usually improve within 3 days.
The Best Vitamin C Food Sources
Vitamin C is recommended at 90 mg per day for men and 75 mg per day for women.
Tobacco use reduces vitamin C absorption and increases the body’s use of the nutrient, so smokers should consume an additional 35 mg per day.
Some of the best vitamin C food sources
-Kiwifruit
-Lychee
-Lemon
-Orange
-Strawberry
-Papaya
-Broccoli
-Parsley
-Acerola cherry
-Guava
-Blackcurrants
-Sweet red pepper
-Kiwifruit
-Lychee
-Lemon
-Orange
-Strawberry
-Papaya
-Broccoli
-Parsley
Because vitamin C degrades quickly when heated, raw fruits and vegetables are preferable to cooked ones.
Because the body does not store large amounts of vitamin C, it is advised to consume fresh fruits and vegetables.
Too much vitamin C can cause digestive issues
The most common side effect of consuming a lot of vitamin C is digestive distress.
In general, these side effects are caused by taking vitamin C supplements rather than eating foods containing vitamin C.
Diarrhea and nausea are the most common digestive symptoms of excessive vitamin C consumption.
If you have digestive issues as a result of taking too much vitamin C, simply reduce your supplement dose or avoid vitamin C supplements entirely.
7 Incredible Ways Vitamin C Helps Your Body
- It may lower your risk of chronic disease.
- May aid in the management of high blood pressure. 3.It’s possible that it’ll lower your risk of heart disease.
- May lower blood uric acid levels and aid in the prevention of gout attacks.
- Aids in the prevention of iron deficiency
- Increases immunity
- It protects your memory and thinking as you get older.
Complications
As previously stated, vitamin C has very little storage in the body; however, toxicity from over-supplementation can occur on rare occasions. Because vitamin C is excreted in the urine, its impact on other urinary metabolites has been investigated. Notably, vitamin C has been shown to increase renal oxalate excretion and, as a result, the formation of calcium oxalate crystals and stones.
What is the treatment for a lack of vitamin C?
The treatment for vitamin C deficiency is to supplement your diet with vitamin C. This can be accomplished by taking vitamin C supplements and eating a vitamin C-rich diet. You might be referred to a dietician for assistance. Vitamin C supplements can usually be discontinued after a certain period of time.
However, it is critical to continue eating a vitamin C-rich diet after the supplements are discontinued. This will help you avoid becoming vitamin C deficient again.
What is the prognosis (prognosis)?
People who are deficient in vitamin C usually recover completely. When vitamin C replacement therapy is initiated, symptoms usually improve within a few days or weeks.
Is it possible to avoid vitamin C deficiency?
Vitamin C deficiency can be avoided by eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables.
As a general rule, one large orange per day will provide you with enough vitamin C.
Important Points
Fever, inflammation, diarrhea, smoking, hyperthyroidism, iron deficiency, cold or heat stress, surgery, burns, and protein deficiency all increase the need for vitamin C.
After a few weeks or months, the deficiency causes nonspecific symptoms (such as weakness, lassitude, irritability, arthralgias, and myalgias); later, the connective tissue is affected, resulting in follicular hyperkeratosis, coiled hair, swollen and bleeding gums, loose teeth, poor wound healing, and spontaneous hemorrhages.
Measure the ascorbic acid level in patients who have skin or gingival symptoms or who have risk factors for the deficiency.
Treat with ascorbic acid supplements and a nutritious diet.
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