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01/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/08/2024 16:18

Vitamin C Deficiency: Find Out If You’re at Risk, and Symptoms to Watch For

Key takeaways:

  • Vitamin C is essential in the diet. You can get enough vitamin C by eating vegetables and fruits daily. Strawberries, kiwi, and red pepper are good sources.

  • Low vitamin C intake can make you feel tired, weak, and achy. If not treated, it can lead to scurvy, which include bleeding gums, lower immune function, and poor wound healing. Scurvy is rare in the U.S.

  • Work with your healthcare professional if you suspect vitamin C deficiency. They may recommend an increased intake of vegetables and fruits, or may suggest supplements.

SrdjanPav/E+ via Getty Images

If you eat plenty of oranges, sweet peppers, and kiwi, you likely get enough vitamin C. This important vitamin is found in many vegetables and fruits. It cannot be made by the body, so you need to get it from your diet.

Getting enough vitamin C is vital for healthy skin, teeth, and bones. It also plays a role in immune health.

Falling short of vitamin C can lead to a condition called scurvy. It's rare in the U.S. Only about 7% of people in the U.S. develop scurvy. It remains a bigger issue in other countries around the world where malnourishment is a main concern.

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Still, many people in the U.S. don't eat enough vegetables and fruits. This raises the risk of vitamin C deficiency and some symptoms. Here's what you need to know.

Why is vitamin C important?

Vitamin C is important for the growth and maintenance of connective tissue and bones. It's essential for making collagen. That's a protein that helps make body tissues and is needed for healthy skin, tendons, and ligaments.

Vitamin C also plays a role in:

  • Maintaining healthy bones, teeth, and gums

  • Immune function

  • Making neurotransmitters

  • Blood vessel function

  • Wound healing

  • Making other antioxidants

  • Iron absorption

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Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant. Researchers are looking at how it may help reduce cell damage and help prevent cancer and heart disease.

How much vitamin C do I need?

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin C is:

  • 75 mg/day for women

  • 90 mg/day for men

If you eat vegetables and fruits, you'll easily get enough vitamin C each day. For reference, a cup of strawberries has 98 mg and an orange has 70 mg of vitamin C.

Symptoms of vitamin C deficiency

Symptoms of vitamin C deficiency take a few weeks or even a few months to develop.

What are the earliest signs of vitamin C deficiency?

The early symptoms of vitamin C deficiency include:

  • Feeling tired and weak

  • Feeling irritable

  • Aching muscles

  • Dry skin

  • Joint pain

  • Bruising easily

  • Small red-blue skin spots

What are later signs of vitamin C deficiency?

After a month or more of vitamin C deficiency, you can develop additional symptoms. A severe vitamin C deficiency is called scurvy. Symptoms include:

  • Changes to hair (it may split, coil, or become dry)

  • Swollen, spongy, or bleeding gums

  • Loose teeth

  • Poor wound healing

  • Loss of movement in the legs

  • Leg swelling

  • Bleeding into joints, causing worse joint pain

  • Nose bleeds

  • Weak immune system

  • Anemia (low blood counts)

Vitamin C deficiency risk factors

People who don't eat vegetables and fruits are at highest risk for vitamin C deficiency.

There are people who are at higher risk of vitamin C deficiency, depending on factors like:

  • Pregnancy and nursing: Vitamin C RDA increases to 85 mg/day during pregnancy, and to 120 mg/day while breastfeeding.

  • Limited food variety or low intake: This includes older adults, people experiencing homelessness, and people using a lot of drugs or alcohol.

  • Smoking: People who smoke cigarettes need 35 mg more vitamin C per day to make up for the effect it has on vitamin C levels.

  • Gut health issues: Some intestinal conditions can affect the way vitamin C is absorbed in the gut. People with cancer or kidney disease on dialysis may also have lower vitamin C levels. They may require supplements.

What to do if you think you're vitamin C deficient

Talk with your primary care provider if you think your vitamin C level is too low. They can assess your skin and your gums to look for signs of vitamin C deficiency. They may also test your blood to look for anemia.

For serious vitamin C deficiency, your healthcare professional may look for signs of scurvy. They may do bone scans, skeletal X-rays, or measure blood for ascorbic acid (note: this blood test is not routine and is usually done only in academic labs).

If your vitamin C is low, you need to get more from foods or supplements. Many vegetables and fruits contain vitamin C. The body doesn't store large amounts of vitamin C, so it's best to eat vegetables and fruits daily.

The best sources of vitamin C are:

Fruits

Vegetables

Oranges

Red peppers

Grapefruit

Broccoli

Kiwi

Green peppers

Strawberries

Brussels sprouts

Cantaloupe

Cabbage

Papaya

Spinach

Guava

Potatoes

Lychee

Kale

If you're diagnosed with scurvy, your healthcare professional may recommend vitamin C supplements and a high intake of vegetables and fruits. With treatment, most symptoms of vitamin C deficiency will disappear in a week or two.

The bottom line

Vitamin C deficiency is rare in the U.S., but possible. People who don't eat vegetables and fruits are at highest risk. The body cannot make vitamin C, so we need to get it in the diet.

If vitamin C levels are too low, it can lead to symptoms like achy muscles, sore joints, and bruises. If left untreated, it can lead to scurvy, which includes symptoms like bleeding gums, poor wound healing, and low immunity.

You can avoid vitamin C deficiency by eating vegetables and fruit daily. Red peppers, kiwi, and strawberries are especially good sources.

References

Johnson, L. E. (2022). Vitamin C deficiency. Merck Manuals.

Maxfield, L., et al. (2023). Vitamin C deficiency. StatPearls.

View All References (4)
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National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. (2024). Scurvy.

Office of Dietary Supplements. (2021). Vitamin C.

Tidy, C. (2023). Vitamin C deficiency. Patient.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2020). Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.

GoodRx Health has strict sourcing policies and relies on primary sources such as medical organizations, governmental agencies, academic institutions, and peer-reviewed scientific journals. Learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate, thorough, and unbiased by reading our editorial guidelines.

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