Nutritional Deficiency
Vitamin C deficiency
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has several important functions. These include:
helping to protect cells and keep them healthy, maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels,
bones and cartilage and wound healing. Vitamin C cannot be stored in the body, so due to
this you need it in your diet every day to maintain health. Taking large amounts (more than
1,000mg per day) of vitamin C can however cause side effects such as stomach pain,
diarrhoea and flatulence. We can find vitamin c in many sources, mainly citrus fruits
including oranges and blackcurrants, and other foods such as broccoli and potatoes. We
must continue to consume vitamin c as vitamin c deficiency can cause a now rare condition
called scurvy.
Scurvy
Scurvy is a dietary related disease as due to not eating substances containing vitamin c, the
body becomes vitamin c deficient and therefore scurvy is developed. Scurvy is the name for
a vitamin C deficiency. Scurvy is treatable with oral or intravenous vitamin C supplements.
Vitamin C is a necessary nutrient that helps the body absorb iron and produce collagen .If
the body does not produce enough collagen, tissues will start to break down. It is also
needed for synthesizing dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and carnitine, needed for
energy production.
Scurvy is mostly associated with sailors in the 15th to 18th century as vitamin c was not
known to be an essential vitamin. Extensive sea voyages were made and due to the length
of time the sailors were at sea, they were unable to get a steady supply of fresh produce
such as citrus fruits. Therefore, many sailors got scurvy and perished due to this. Overtime,
we learned about vitamin C and its need for our body to function properly. Due to this,
sailors began to take oranges of their voyages and this allowed them to keep a high vitamin
C level in their body’s resulting in less illness.
Scurvy is now very rare yet it is still present even though people know a lot about a healthy
and varied diet. This is due to causes such as;
A poor diet lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables, possibly due to low
income or famine in 3rd world countries.
Illnesses such as anorexia and other mental health issues.
Restrictive diets, due to allergies, difficulty orally ingesting foods, or other
reasons.
Old age
Vitamin C deficiency
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has several important functions. These include:
helping to protect cells and keep them healthy, maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels,
bones and cartilage and wound healing. Vitamin C cannot be stored in the body, so due to
this you need it in your diet every day to maintain health. Taking large amounts (more than
1,000mg per day) of vitamin C can however cause side effects such as stomach pain,
diarrhoea and flatulence. We can find vitamin c in many sources, mainly citrus fruits
including oranges and blackcurrants, and other foods such as broccoli and potatoes. We
must continue to consume vitamin c as vitamin c deficiency can cause a now rare condition
called scurvy.
Scurvy
Scurvy is a dietary related disease as due to not eating substances containing vitamin c, the
body becomes vitamin c deficient and therefore scurvy is developed. Scurvy is the name for
a vitamin C deficiency. Scurvy is treatable with oral or intravenous vitamin C supplements.
Vitamin C is a necessary nutrient that helps the body absorb iron and produce collagen .If
the body does not produce enough collagen, tissues will start to break down. It is also
needed for synthesizing dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and carnitine, needed for
energy production.
Scurvy is mostly associated with sailors in the 15th to 18th century as vitamin c was not
known to be an essential vitamin. Extensive sea voyages were made and due to the length
of time the sailors were at sea, they were unable to get a steady supply of fresh produce
such as citrus fruits. Therefore, many sailors got scurvy and perished due to this. Overtime,
we learned about vitamin C and its need for our body to function properly. Due to this,
sailors began to take oranges of their voyages and this allowed them to keep a high vitamin
C level in their body’s resulting in less illness.
Scurvy is now very rare yet it is still present even though people know a lot about a healthy
and varied diet. This is due to causes such as;
A poor diet lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables, possibly due to low
income or famine in 3rd world countries.
Illnesses such as anorexia and other mental health issues.
Restrictive diets, due to allergies, difficulty orally ingesting foods, or other
reasons.
Old age
