Vitamin C is essential for a healthy body. Although only needed in small amounts, a deficiency can cause a variety of symptoms and health disorders…

If you eat a balanced diet, you should get enough vitamin C for your body to function properly. Adult women (who are not pregnant or breastfeeding) need 75 milligrams of vitamin C per day, and men need 90 milligrams. Just 1/2 cup of raw red bell peppers or 3/4 cup of orange juice can provide the recommended daily amount.

The body does not make or store vitamin C, so you must get it daily through food.

Vitamin C is essential for a healthy body and is supplied daily through food.

1. Who is at risk of vitamin C deficiency?

People at risk of vitamin C deficiency include:

• People with poor diets
• People with kidney disease requiring dialysis
• Heavy drinkers and smokers. These people will need an additional 35 mg of vitamin C per day to help repair damage caused by free radicals formed when smoking.

2. Consequences of vitamin C deficiency

If vitamin C deficiency persists, it will cause a series of symptoms:

• Slow wound healing: Vitamin C helps promote the production of collagen, a protein that plays a role in repairing and regenerating the skin. Vitamin C helps neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that fights infection, function well. Therefore, when you are injured, a lack of vitamin C will cause the wound to heal slowly.
• Bleeding gums, nosebleeds, easy bruising: Vitamin C keeps blood vessels healthy and helps blood clot properly. Collagen is also essential for healthy teeth and gums. Therefore, if you are deficient in vitamin C, you are more likely to experience these symptoms. One study found that people with gum disease who ate grapefruit for 2 weeks noticed less bleeding from their gums.
• Weight gain: Early research has found a link between low vitamin C levels and higher body fat, especially belly fat. This vitamin may also play a role in helping your body burn fat for energy.
• Dry, wrinkled skin: Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which helps protect your skin from free radicals. People who eat a healthy diet rich in vitamin C have smoother, softer skin.
• Fatigue and irritability: A study of office workers found that taking vitamin C supplements made them feel less tired within 2 hours, especially in those with low vitamin C levels. The effect lasted for the rest of the day. Those with low vitamin C levels reported feeling tired and irritable.
• Weakened immunity: Vitamin C helps boost immunity. So if you’re low in vitamin C, you’re more likely to get sick and take longer to recover. There’s some evidence that vitamin C can help protect you from illnesses like pneumonia and bladder infections. It may even reduce your risk of heart disease and some cancers.
• Vision loss: If you have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), your condition may get worse faster if you’re low in vitamin C, antioxidants, and certain minerals.

Getting enough vitamin C from food may help prevent cataracts, but more research is needed to understand the link.