Vitamin C deficiency causes dryness and flaking of the skin, edema in various parts of the body, easy bruising, joint and bone pain, delays in wound healing, bleeding gums, and weakening of the immune system.

What happens in the body if vitamin C is not taken enough?

Internal Medicine Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Koçoğlu; “The importance of balanced nutrition habits for a healthy life should not be ignored. April 4th World Vitamin C Day is an opportunity to support a healthy life and contribute to the awareness of the society about nutrition. Remember, healthy nutrition shapes your future and helps you live a happier life,” he said, emphasizing the importance of proper nutrition, which is one of the cornerstones of a healthy life in every season, and provided the following information about vitamin C:

 Vitamin C is essential for the body:

Vitamin C is an essential vitamin for the body and is found in various foods. Citrus fruits such as orange, lemon, and tangerine; fruits such as kiwi and strawberry; and vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers are rich sources of vitamin C. In addition, green leafy vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli also contain vitamin C.

 Vitamin C is the most important protector of the immune system: Vitamin C has antioxidant properties that help strengthen the body’s immune system. Antioxidants protect cells by fighting free radicals in the body and increase resistance to diseases.

The role of vitamin C in collagen production is very important:

In addition, vitamin C plays an important role in collagen production. Collagen is a protein that maintains the skin’s strength and keeps it young. Vitamin C deficiency can cause wrinkles and accelerated aging of the skin.

 Vitamin C is not very healthy if it is not taken from natural foods: The average daily vitamin C requirement for adults is 65-90 milligrams. However, it is recommended that pregnant and breastfeeding women and smokers increase this amount. The healthiest way to get this amount from natural foods, but sometimes it can be taken as a supplement. One point to remember is that taking high levels of vitamin C supplements (such as 500 mg or 1000 mg) for a long time can increase the risk of kidney stones. Therefore, it is not recommended to use these high doses for a long time. However, it has been shown in some studies that taking high doses of vitamin C during respiratory infections (such as 1 week) can shorten the duration of infection. It is also known that if people taking iron medication consume foods containing vitamin C while taking their iron medication, iron absorption increases and thus iron deficiency is corrected more quickly.

WHAT HAPPENS IN VITAMIN C DEFICIENCY?

 Vitamin C deficiency causes dryness and flaking of the skin: Vitamin C deficiency can cause dryness and flaking of the skin, edema in various parts of the body, easy bruising, joint and bone pain, delayed wound healing, bleeding gums, weakening of the immune system and therefore frequent infections.

 Including foods rich in vitamin C in your diet is important for maintaining your health. You can ensure that your body gets this important vitamin by eating at least one serving of fruit and vegetables a day. Since vitamin C, which we can easily access in many foods, is sensitive to heat, the vitamin C obtained from raw fruits and vegetables is much higher than that obtained from cooked foods.