Vitamins >> Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) Deficiency

Scurvy

Severe vitamin C deficiency has been known for many centuries as the potentially fatal disease, scurvy. By the late 1700's the British navy was aware that scurvy could be cured by eating oranges or lemons, even though vitamin C would not be isolated until the early 1930's. Symptoms of scurvy include bleeding and bruising easily, hair and tooth loss, joint pain and swelling. Such symptoms appear to be related to the weakening of blood vessels, connective tissue, and bone, which contain collagen. Early symptoms of scurvy such as fatigue may result from diminished levels of carnitine, needed to derive energy from fat, or decreased synthesis of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (see functions). Scurvy is rare in developed countries because it can be prevented by as little as 10 mg of vitamin C daily . However, recent cases have occurred in children and the elderly on very restricted diets .

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

In the U.S., the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin C was recently revised upward from 60 mg daily for men and women. The RDA continues to be based primarily on the prevention of deficiency disease, rather than the prevention of chronic disease and the promotion of optimum health. The recommended intake for smokers is 35 mg/day higher than for nonsmokers, because smokers are under increased oxidative stress from the toxins in cigarette smoke and generally have lower blood levels of vitamin C .

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