Vitamin C deficiency: signs and symptoms of ascorbic acid deficiency. Lack of vitamins in the body: how to protect yourself from unpleasant consequences

Many people do not know that signs of vitamin C deficiency include more than just a weakened immune system, scurvy, and tooth loss.

The effect of ascorbic acid on the body is complex and multifaceted.

By participating in collagen synthesis and key cellular processes, this vitamin prolongs life and protects us from fatal diseases.

Ascorbic acid performs a number of key functions in the body, and therefore can serve as a marker good nutrition and health status.

Why is vitamin C needed?

Vitamin C is considered powerful antioxidant.

But adequate intake of ascorbic acid is important for other reasons:

- prevention of heart disease and stroke
- cancer prevention and enhancement of certain chemotherapy drugs
- suppression of chronic inflammatory processes
- collagen synthesis and preservation of skin youth
- absorption of minerals, including iron
- slowing down cellular aging
- strengthening the immune system
- increased performance

Are you susceptible to hypovitaminosis C?

Extreme manifestation of deficiency ascorbic acid- scurvy (bleeding gums and loss of teeth) - rare these days. However, a recent US Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 31% of Americans do not get the recommended dose of the vitamin.

Risk factors for hypovitaminosis C:

- drug addiction and alcoholism
- severe restrictive diets
- lack of vegetables and fruits in the diet
- Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
- other nutrient absorption disorders
- smoking (impairs absorption)
- pregnancy and lactation

Signs and symptoms of vitamin C deficiency

If you are concerned about possible hypovitaminosis C, here are some symptoms to look out for:

1. Bruises

Bruises are a natural response to injury. They occur when small blood vessels near the surface of the skin burst under pressure. In some situations, “flashlight” is quite expected. But inexplicable, multiple red-violet traces may indicate capillary walls weakened as a result of hypovitaminosis C.

Since even a slight deficiency can cause bruising, try diversifying your diet or taking medications such as ascorutin. After a week or two, look at the results.

But remember: bruising may result serious illnesses, requiring consultation with a doctor and urgent treatment!

2. Wounds that won't heal

If cuts and scratches appear on your body and heal slowly, this is a reason to consult a specialist and reconsider your diet at the same time. Hypovitaminosis C affects tissue regeneration in two ways.

Firstly, ascorbic acid is necessary for the formation of collagen, which is involved in the restoration skin. Secondly, this nutrient is a powerful antioxidant and immunostimulant.

3. Inflammation and bleeding gums

Swollen and bleeding gums and persistent mouth ulcers are often associated with low levels of ascorbate in the blood. Everything depends on the same collagen - the gums use over 20% of this protein synthesized by the body. That's why full vitamin nutrition so important for healthy teeth and gums. If you don't pay attention to the problem, you may end up experiencing the disease of medieval sailors - scurvy.

4. Dry hair and brittle nails

Strong and healthy nails shiny hair- indicator of a proper balanced diet. The body distributes ascorbate throughout life important bodies, supplying nails and hair on a residual basis. Thus, a lack of vitamin in your diet will immediately affect your appearance. This is a symptom worth looking out for.

5. Dry skin

Rough and dry skin due to lack of collagen is one of the first manifestations of poor diet. Doctors know such a condition as keratosis pilaris (pityriasis pilaris) - it is closely related to hypovitaminosis C. Administration vitamin supplements and a varied diet will help improve skin texture and tone, slow down the appearance of wrinkles and look your best. A nice bonus: ascorbic acid limits cellular damage caused by ultraviolet rays.

6. Nosebleeds

If you experience frequent nosebleeds, poor diet is found to be the cause in most cases. As we have already said, without ascorbate, blood vessels become brittle.

7. Weakened immunity

The immune system helps the body protect itself from infectious diseases and malignant cells. Berries, fruits and vegetables promote immune function due to their abundance of essential substances.

A sign of a lack of vitamin C is long and severe colds, a decrease in the body’s resistance to other pathogens, including intestinal pathogens. To be fair, we note that ascorbic acid does not reduce the frequency colds. Rather, it facilitates their course.

8. Joint swelling and pain

Hypovitaminosis C itself does not manifest itself as inflammation of the joints, but modern research show: people with low levels of this nutrient in the blood are three times more likely to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.

9. Weakness and depression

These are perhaps the most common manifestations of somatic and mental illness V medical practice. But among these reasons, not the least important is the lack of ascorbic acid, especially in young people and otherwise healthy people. Research shows a link between vitamin C deficiency and psychological disorders. Most hospitalized patients with suboptimal ascorbate levels demonstrate measurable improvement in mood after taking vitamin supplements.

10. Unexplained weight gain

Hypovitaminosis C is one of the possible reasons fat accumulation and unwanted weight gain. A 2006 study from Arizona State University found that the amount of vitamin C the body absorbs directly influences the cells' ability to use fat as a fuel source during exercise and at rest.

A four-week experiment involving 20 obese volunteers confirmed: adding 500 mg of ascorbic acid to the diet activates fat oxidation and helps maintain normal weight bodies.

Have you noticed any signs or symptoms of vitamin C deficiency? Talk to your doctor!

Konstantin Mokanov

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is one of the most well-known and widely consumed micronutrients.

Vitamin C

Ascorbic acid is one of the main substances that should be present in the daily diet. In the human body it takes part in various processes; it is necessary for normal operation many systems and organs, in particular bone and connective tissue.

Vitamin C takes part in such vital processes as the formation of collagen, catecholamines, serotonin, and glucocorticosteroids. Ascorbic acid is a powerful antioxidant, normalizes redox processes, and also has antiplatelet properties. In addition, vitamin C has a metabolic effect and is involved in the regulation carbohydrate metabolism, tissue regeneration, blood clotting, reduces vascular permeability, increases the body's resistance to infectious pathogens. Ascorbic acid promotes the reduction of ferric iron into divalent iron, which ensures its absorption into digestive tract, positively affecting hematopoiesis (blood formation). This vitamin also has a positive effect on immunogenesis - it stimulates the formation of interferon.

Manifestations of vitamin C deficiency

Ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that is not produced in the human body, but comes only from external environment with food. Lack or complete absence Vitamin C leads to significant damage to connective tissue. As a rule, ascorbic acid deficiency is manifested by increased wall permeability blood vessels and slowing down tissue recovery when damaged.

With insufficient intake of ascorbic acid into the body, hypovitaminosis C develops. Clinical manifestations this deficit state are not pronounced and usually appear after four to six months. Hypovitaminosis C causes deterioration general condition, decreased performance, fatigue, bleeding and loosening of the gums, minor hemorrhages on lower limbs in the area of ​​hair follicles. If vitamin C is completely stopped between four and twelve weeks, scurvy develops.

Scurvy, also known as scurvy, is a disease characterized primarily by fragility of blood vessels, bleeding gums, and the appearance of characteristic hemorrhagic rashes on the body. Symptoms of vitamin C deficiency are directly related to the participation of ascorbic acid in the above processes. Most early symptom insufficiency - manifestations hemorrhagic diathesis(bleeding, loosening of the gums, hemorrhages on the skin, under the periosteum, in the muscles, periarticular tissues). These signs are due to insufficient collagen formation, which is an important component vascular wall. In the future, gingivitis may develop, and teeth may become loose or fall out. The skin of people suffering from vitamin C deficiency becomes rough and dry. Petechiae (point hemorrhages) appear on the torso and legs.

With scurvy, there is a weakening of the attachment of the periosteum to the bones, fixation of the teeth in the sockets, which leads to their loss. In addition, with scurvy, a decrease in immunity occurs and hypochromic anemia develops.

In modern times severe forms Scurvy is observed quite rarely. Mostly, ascorbic acid deficiency occurs in the form of hypovitaminosis C.

A special form of vitamin C deficiency is Möller-Barlow disease. This disease is observed in children early age. Meller-Barlow disease is a consequence of hypovitaminosis C in a mother whose milk has a significantly reduced content of ascorbic acid or is completely absent. The disease is manifested by restlessness of the child, multiple hemorrhages in the skin and under the periosteum, as well as disturbances in the development of bone and cartilage tissue.

The main component of the treatment of vitamin C deficiency is the prescription of a diet rich in vitamin C, as well as the use of vitamin C in tablet form and in injection form.

Prevention of vitamin C deficiency

The physiological daily requirement of vitamin C for adults is approximately 90 mg, for pregnant women - 100 mg, for nursing mothers - 120 mg. The daily norm for children is 30-90 mg, depending on age. Wherein daily norm at various circumstances may change.

People get ascorbic acid from food. Natural sources of vitamin C include many fruits and vegetables. The richest in ascorbic acid are acerola (Barbados cherry), bell peppers, rose hips, black currants, sea buckthorn, sweet green peppers, Brussels sprouts, parsley, wild garlic, dill, kiwi, garden strawberries, citrus fruits, unripe fruits walnut, apples.

Thus, a rational, varied diet prevents the occurrence of vitamin C deficiency and helps maintain and improve health.

Until recently, the effects of vitamins on human health were largely unknown. Renaissance researchers discovered that a wide variety of diseases arose on ships that ate mostly salted meats and grains. Almost all diseases could be cured by switching to a more varied diet. People began to suspect the presence of vitamins, tiny substances that are needed to maintain good health. Nobel Prizes obtained by scientists who correctly identified specific vitamins, and this allowed thousands of people to avoid death from vitamin deficiency simply by eating certain foods. Today, vitamin deficiency is still observed in developing countries or in countries where limited nutrition is prevalent. But centuries ago, people lived in fear of these deadly nutritional problems, the causes of which were unknown and seemed to affect people at random.

1. Beri-Beri disease (vitamin B1 deficiency)

Polyneuritis (beriberi, rice disease, vitamin deficiency) is a disease characterized by the following symptoms: weight loss, weakness, pain, brain damage, disorders heart rate and heart failure. If vitamin deficiency is not treated, the disease is fatal. For a long period of time, it was an endemic (widespread) disease in Asia. Oddly enough, vitamin deficiency was observed almost exclusively among rich members of society, and was not found among the poor. Doctors were puzzled why wealthy people, eating abundant and fresh food, became victims of vitamin deficiency, because vitamin deficiency occurred when there was a deficiency nutrients, while the poor, eating very poor food, did not suffer from vitamin deficiency. As it turned out, vitamin deficiency is a deficiency of vitamin B1 (thiamine), which is found in the husk of rice grains. The rich washed their rice so well that the vitamin B1 husks were completely washed away, while the poor did not wash their rice and consumed enough vitamin B1. White bread can potentially cause vitamin deficiency, so today developed countries add vitamin B1 to White bread. Vitamin deficiency now occurs mainly in alcoholics whose health is too weak to absorb sufficient amounts of vitamin B1.

2. Pellagra (vitamin B3 deficiency)

After the discovery and development of America, settlers began to grow corn, and it subsequently spread throughout the world. Native Americans, who grew up eating corn, cooked it with the addition of lime, but the taste was unpleasant to Europeans, and they excluded lime from the process of cooking corn. Corn crops expanded and pink disease also began to spread. Symptoms of the disease, such as diarrhea, dermatitis, and dementia, were fatal. Many people believed that corn was somehow toxic and could not explain the absence of the disease among the native inhabitants of the New World. After thousands of people died, it was discovered that corn, although high in carbohydrates, did not have enough vitamin B3 (niacin). Farmers who often ate only bread were susceptible to this disease. Native Americans actually use lime as a source of vitamin B3. Today it is well known that by eating a variety of foods, you get enough vitamin B3 and pink disease is easily treated.

3. Biotin (vitamin B7) deficiency

Biotin deficiency is caused by a lack of vitamin B7 (biotin). It causes rashes, hair loss, anemia and frustration mental state including hallucinations, drowsiness and depression. Vitamin B7 is found in meat, liver, milk, peanuts, and some vegetables. Biotin deficiency is quite rare, however, there has been a slight uptick in the number of cases where the idea of ​​consuming biotin has become popular among bodybuilders. raw eggs for food. One of the proteins found in raw egg white, binds vitamin B7 and makes it difficult to absorb, leading to deficiency. Cooking egg whites renders the protein inactive. Mild biotin deficiency occurs in approximately half of all pregnant women, and due to the higher intake of vitamin B7 in the body during pregnancy, there are supplements by the World Health Organization that are recommended for these women.

4. Scurvy (vitamin C deficiency)

Scurvy has been reported among people who were at sea for a long time. Ships tended to carry mostly shelf-stable foods, such as salted meats and dried grains, so sailors ate very little, and often went without, fruits and vegetables. Scurvy causes lethargy, spots on the skin, bleeding gums, tooth loss, and fever. Scurvy is fatal. Ancient sailors could cure scurvy with various herbs. In later times, these ancient medicines were not used and their usefulness in treating scurvy was forgotten. In the 18th century, horse meat and citrus fruits were discovered to help treat scurvy, and British sailors consumed limes in such quantities that they were nicknamed "limeys" (an offensive term for English sailors and all people from England). These foods are now known to contain vitamin C, and scurvy rarely ends these days fatal as it once was. Today there are groups of people who advocate megadoses of vitamin C, which are hundreds of times higher than recommended daily requirement. None positive results has not been documented, however, there is evidence that overdose is possible, which may cause harm to health.

5. Rickets (vitamin D deficiency)

Rickets causes muscles and bones to become soft, which can cause permanent muscle and bone deformities in children. Rickets is most common in children and infants who are poorly nourished or stay indoors for long periods of time, but rickets is now relatively rare in developed countries. At breastfeeding children are at greater risk if they or their mothers do not receive enough sunlight and are currently baby food to prevent the development of rickets. Rickets is caused by a deficiency of vitamin D and calcium. Vitamin D is necessary for the proper absorption of calcium when it enters the bones for their strengthening and development. Adults rarely get rickets because their bones don't grow and they don't need much calcium. Vitamin D comes from many foods, but the body can only use it if it has been converted into active form with the help of sunlight. IN last years There has been a slight increase in the number of children with rickets, perhaps due to the fact that too many of them do not leave the house for a long time.

6. Vitamin B2 deficiency

This disease is present mainly in people who suffer from malnutrition and alcoholics. The disease has characteristic features such as: hot pink tongue, cracked lips, swelling of the larynx, bloodshot eyes, and low level red blood cells in the blood. This can eventually cause coma and death. The disease is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), but is easily treated by eating foods rich in vitamin B2, including meat, eggs, milk, mushrooms and green leafy vegetables. Vitamin B2 is also used as an artificial color (orange color) in food products. It is absorbed into the blood through the liver, so although an alcoholic can eat enough food rich in B2, he will not be able to use it. Actual vitamin B2 deficiency is quite rare, but about 10% of people in developed countries live in lung condition deficiency, it is believed that this occurs due to a diet consisting of foods with high degree processing. Chronic minor vitamin B2 deficiencies can increase the risk of minor health problems.

7. Vitamin K deficiency

Vitamin K deficiency occurs in half of all newborns worldwide. IN severe cases this causes uncontrolled bleeding and underdevelopment of the face and bones. Many hospitals give vitamin K injections to newborns to avoid more severe symptoms. Unfortunately, children born outside of a hospital are statistically much more likely to be deficient in vitamin K. Vitamin K is found primarily in green, leafy vegetables, although gut bacteria in the human body help produce some of it. Newborns do not yet have gut bacteria, so they are especially susceptible to vitamin K deficiency. In addition to newborns, vitamin K deficiency occurs in alcoholics, bulimics, strict dieters, and people with serious illnesses such as cystic fibrosis. Adults who, with the slightest injury, bruise or bleed much more heavily than normal person, have a vitamin K deficiency, which itself may indicate one of the more serious diseases or disorders.

8. Vitamin B12 deficiency

Vitamin B12 deficiency (Hypocobalaminemia) was first noticed as a symptom autoimmune disease. Vitamin B12 deficiency leads to gradual deterioration spinal cord and gradual deterioration of brain function, leading to loss of sensory or motor activity. Mental disorders with gradual brain damage begin as fatigue, irritability, depression, or memory lapses. As the disease progresses, over several years, psychosis and various manias may appear. This disease is irreversible nature and is caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. Luckily, this vitamin is easily found in meat, dairy products and eggs. Vitamin B12 is stored in the liver and can be used up for years before deficiency occurs. Vitamin B12 deficiency is most common in developing countries among people who eat little animal products. In developed countries, vegans are at risk because plants do not provide enough vitamin B12 for the human diet. Babies need much more vitamin B12 than adults as they grow, so children who are breastfed may be deficient in vitamin B12 and, as a result, may suffer permanent brain damage if their mother is deficient in vitamin B12 . Special supplements are recommended for people on all types of diets and are the easiest way to avoid the devastating effects of this disease.

9. Paresthesia (vitamin B5 deficiency)

Vitamin B5 is found in almost every food, and vitamin B5 deficiency has been seen in people who have fasted or volunteered in certain medical studies, and in people on a restricted diet with very little food. Vitamin B5 deficiency causes chronic paresthesia. Paresthesia is very similar to the sensations of numbness that we sometimes experience when we say "goosebumps" or when the limbs "go numb". This kind of feeling is completely normal, but with a deficiency of vitamin B5 it happens all the time. Exhausted POWs sometimes reported tingling and burning sensations in their arms and legs, now believed to be signs of paresthesia. This disease is virtually non-existent today and therefore most vitamin supplements do not include B5.

10. Night blindness (vitamin A deficiency)

Even the ancient Egyptians and Greeks wrote about night blindness (nyctalopia - nyctalopia). This disease makes it impossible to see at dusk, and sufferers of this disease become completely blind when night falls. The Egyptians discovered that they could cure sufferers of this disease by including in their diet the liver, which contains a large number of vitamin A, deficiency of which causes night blindness. Vitamin A deficiency still affects one third of all children under five years of age on earth, resulting in more than half a million people suffering from the disease each year. The highest doses of vitamin A can be obtained from the liver, which in turn is very dangerous in case of overdose, and can lead to various complications. In the past, starving Antarctic explorers ate dogs but became ill when they ate too much liver. Vitamin A is found in carrots, which contains a slightly different version of vitamin A than that found in liver, and is non-toxic in high doses, although it may cause irritation and yellowing of the skin. During World War II, the Allies claimed that they ate carrots to help them see clearly, but carrots only helped maintain normal vision, not improve it. In reality, they were deceiving the enemy in order to hide the development of military radar.

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Vitamin C is known to promote the formation of connective tissue. And if we compare our skeleton with the reinforced concrete structure of a building, then connective tissue- This is a cement solution that holds the bricks of the walls together. Without vitamin C, connective tissue loses its ability to repair itself, and in this case, cells cannot maintain their shape and perform their functions.

Now imagine: a myocardial infarction occurs, the cells of the coronary vessels become blocked and stop supplying the heart with oxygen. Death or atrophy (death) of the heart muscle occurs. What can help? Connective tissue only. She must immediately “patch” the sore muscle, and this requires a lot of vitamin C.

Link to cholesterol

We are used to hearing that excess cholesterol is harmful. But you need to know that cholesterol is necessary for brain cells. People with scurvy usually have very low blood cholesterol levels. After treating such patients with vitamin C, cholesterol levels usually return to normal. Experiments have shown that in healthy people the same vitamin C does not cause any changes in cholesterol levels. This allowed scientists to conclude that ascorbic acid normalizes metabolism: cholesterol levels that are too high under the influence of vitamin C are reduced, and cholesterol levels that are too low are increased. True, hematologists believe that vitamin C is not the only substance that rids arteries of excess cholesterol. For normal functioning Our body also requires many other substances - B vitamins, unsaturated fatty acid, amino acids, mineral salts and other ingredients.