Vitamin C provides necessary nutrition for every system in the human body. Deficiency of this important vitamin is usually caused by an inadequate diet, according to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library.
Identification
Broccoli contains vitamin C.
Vitamin C deficiency symptoms include fatigue, bleeding gums, bruises, irritability, loose teeth and weight loss. If the deficiency is severe, scurvy can develop. Scurvy is characterized by poor wound healing, edema and hemorrhages under the skin. It develops from insufficient vitamin C in the diet.
Although scurvy is rare in developed countries now, it was a serious concern for sailors in the 1700s because of the limited fresh food they ate on voyages. "By the late 1700s the British navy was aware that scurvy could be cured by eating oranges or lemons," according to the Linus Pauling Institute.
Considerations
Many berries are good sources of vitamin C.
Vitamin C supplies antioxidants, it offers immune system support, and it facilitates many essential metabolic activities throughout the body. Vitamin C is water-soluble and is not stored in the body. Because humans cannot produce vitamin C, we must get it through our diet.
Alcohol, oral contraceptives, steroids and smoking can deplete vitamin C levels.
Prevention/Solution
Tomatoes are another good source of vitamin C.
The optimal solution to vitamin C deficiency is to eat plenty of food that is high in vitamin C every day. Citrus fruit, berries, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and peppers are good sources.
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