Is Low-Carb Eating Increasing Scurvy?
June 10, 2004 — The ancient mariners had scurvy. And apparently, plenty of Americans today have it, too. We’re not getting enough vitamin C, the main preventative for scurvy or vitamin C deficiency, researchers say. Could low-carb eating be to blame? The report appears in the current issue of the American Journal of Public Health. It provides results from a large nationwide survey, showing that seniors and children get the most vitamin C in their diet. However, men and women aged 25 to 44 get the least — and are most at risk for developing scurvy. “A considerable number of U.S. residents are vitamin C deficient,” writes researcher Carol Johnston, a professor of nutrition at Arizona State University. Other studies have shown similar results, she writes. One U.S. study shows that 18% of adults get fewer than 30 milligrams daily of vitamin C. Another study shows that up to 20% of the 13- to 18-year-old group gets fewer than 30 milligrams daily. Because scurvy is rarely suspected, people
