How Much Vitamin C is Needed to Prevent a Deficiency?
The classic deficiency state related to vitamin C is scurvy, a condition characterized by gum disease, pain in the muscles and joints, skin lesions, fatigue and bleeding. An adult needs 10 milligrams of vitamin C per day to prevent scurvy. This is the absolute minimum, however, and some studies have shown that a daily dose of 100 mg or more may be needed to maintain or maximize the body pool of vitamin C.7 Who is Likely to Require a Higher Quantity of Vitamin C? Depending on genetics and life-style factors, some people may require more vitamin C than the average healthy adult to prevent the disruption of important biochemical reactions. The elderly, alcohol consumers, diabetics and smokers, for example, tend to be low in vitamin C. In their report, Gaby and Singh offer the following evidence of this relationship.8 The elderly. Elderly people are known to be lacking in vitamin C, primarily because their diet is poor. In a 1978 study, elderly people had only half the level of ascorbic ac
