Vitamin C plays important roles in many processes throughout your body, such as protecting cells from damage, promoting a healthy immune system and making collagen and other necessary compounds. You require vitamin C each day to prevent a deficiency. Low levels of this nutrient could result in scurvy, a potentially serious condition. Knowing the role of vitamin C and the dangers of scurvy may aid you in making dietary changes that will reduce your risk of deficiency.
Scurvy
A prolonged deficiency in vitamin C will lead to scurvy, but symptoms may not begin to appear until a few months after you've had a deficiency. Symptoms include weakness, loose teeth, swollen gums, bruising, weight loss, irritability and fatigue. You could also experience sunken eyes, muscle pain and fast heart rate. Your doctor will order blood tests to determine the level of vitamin C in your blood, and if you have a deficiency, your doctor will recommend treatment. In severe, acute cases of scurvy, a doctor may recommend hospitalization for treatment and to monitor for improvement.
Recommended Intake
In most instances, scurvy occurs when you have a vitamin C intake of 10 mg or less over an extended period of time, explains the Office of Dietary Supplements. To avoid scurvy, you need to have an adequate intake of vitamin C. The average adult requires between 75 mg and 120 mg of vitamin C each day to avoid a deficiency. You may need more or less vitamin C depending on your health or medication use, and your doctor can help you determine your particular needs.
Many foods will provide you with vitamin C. A single medium-sized orange can contain around 70 mg of vitamin C. A half cup of strawberries provides 49 mg of vitamin C. Other sources include red peppers, kiwi, broccoli and tomatoes.
Treatment
Left untreated, scurvy could result in death. If your doctor determines you have scurvy, she will most likely recommend that you take vitamin C supplements and eat a diet rich in this nutrient to help restore the vitamin C levels in your blood. Once your vitamin C levels return to normal, your symptoms should resolve.
Considerations
If you think you have low levels of vitamin C, talk with your doctor. She can test your blood to determine your level and recommend treatment, if necessary. Give your doctor examples of your typical daily diet, which may help identify potential problems in addition to scurvy. You should not begin taking high doses of vitamin C or other supplements without first consulting your doctor, since high quantities of some nutrients could react with medications or a health condition.
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