From repairing tissues to boosting the immune system, vitamin C plays a critical role in the human body. While vitamin C deficiencies aren't extremely common among most populations in the U.S. today, they can occur. Individuals most at risk for vitamin C deficiency include:
- Individuals on a highly restrictive diet
- Those with a drug or alcohol dependency
- Low income individuals who may not purchase foods high in vitamin C
- Individuals with a condition that impairs the body's ability to absorb nutrients in the digestive tract
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
- Smokers
Vitamin C Deficiency Quiz
- Do you have dry, damaged skin? Healthy skin is rich in vitamin C, which plays a key role in protecting the body from sun damage and pollutants. Healthy skin with sufficient vitamin C should produce plenty of collagen. If your skin is dry or damaged, it could be a sign of a vitamin C deficiency – though there are certainly other potential causes behind dry and damaged skin.
- Do you bruise easily? This is one of the earliest and most clear signs of a vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C, which promotes healthy levels of collagen, plays an essential role in repairing bruises (breaks in the blood vessels). Bruising easily could be a sign that vitamin C levels are deficient.
- Are your joints painful and swollen? Again, it all comes back to collagen. Collagen is a connective tissue found in joints. When there's a vitamin C deficiency, which reduces the presence of collagen, joints can become swollen and painful. In severe cases, there may even be bleeding in the joints, causing further pain.
- Are wounds slow to heal? Do you have a poor immune system? Slow-healing wounds may be observed further along in a vitamin C deficiency. Leg ulcers are a classic symptom of advanced vitamin C deficiency.
- Have you experienced unexplained weight gain? Did you know that vitamin C helps regulate the release of fat in the body? Patients with a vitamin C deficiency may experience unexplained weight gain. (Of course, weight gain can be associated with other causes.)
- Are you frequently fatigued? Finally, feeling tired and worn out is a classic early sign of a vitamin C deficiency. The good news is that fatigue caused by a vitamin C deficiency can oftentimes be resolved in just a few hours or days with a vitamin C supplement!