Vitamins are very essential towards the growth of the human body and vitamin C plays a major role too. Vitamin C is soluble in water and when digesting food, the vitamin helps the body extract iron from vegetables. It also helps in repairing and forming the red blood cells in the body. It keeps the body healthy by protecting the immune system from infections.
Most people have no idea about the deficiencies that arise from a lack of Vitamin C in your system. Ever had a wound that takes time to heal, experience excessive bleeding or swollen gums? Well, if so these are some of the signs that you might lack enough Vitamin C in your body.
Here we will help to discover the importance of a daily intake of Vitamin C, why it’s an essential nutrient and the symptoms of a vitamin C deficiency.
Rough Skin
If you have rough skin and you are still young, it’s most likely that you might have a deficiency of Vitamin C in your body. Antioxidants repair the skin in order to boost its defense mechanism.
So, is vitamin C an antioxidant? The answer to that is yes and a powerful one too, it helps in many areas such as aging, helps destroy toxins from the air when in contact with the skin and increases blood flow.
If the skin lacks enough of Vitamin C it increases the chances of contracting skin cancer or even heart diseases by allowing free radicals to attack the skin.
Bruises Taking a Longer Than Usual Time to Heal
Any time you are hurt and bruises appear on your skin, Vitamin C levels in your bloodstream lower. If the body has less Vitamin C this means that collagen production is on the lower side which causes weaker blood cells.
Healing the bruised area of your skin the body needs sufficient Vitamin C to make collagens. If you experience a slow process with your wounds healing, this is a symptom of a deficiency in Vitamin C.
Bleeding and Swollen Gums
The gum comprises of collagens and if the supply that replenishes it lowers. Gums become more sensitive meaning that Vitamin C levels in your system have deepened.
The lack of this vital vitamin weakens the gum tissues, leading to chances of bleeding gums and teeth falling out. At this stage, it might indicate that there is a severe deficiency in Vitamin C.
Iron Deficiency
The body needs to have a sufficient supply of vitamin C to help in absorption of iron. The body absorbs iron from meat and vegetables. The absorption of iron from vegetables is poor and the process needs more of vitamin C.
Iron-rich foods like spinach and kale help prevent paleness, headaches. The lack of enough Vitamin C can also cause anemia that reduces the metabolism of iron.
Weak Immune System
A Weak immunity system is one of the side effects of vitamin C deficiency. Lack of enough vitamin C in the body increases the risk of infections. Vitamin C helps in bonding the various immune cells in the body to fight infections and destroy harmful pathogens.
Diseases such as pneumonia and scurvy can be contracted when a person has a poor immune system, which can lead to death if not treated. Boosting your Vitamin C levels will greatly improve your immune system and help fight such infections.
Feeling Moody and Fatigued
Feeling fatigued and mood swings are some of the symptoms rarely noticed but do appear way before a severe Vitamin C deficiency. A low supply of Vitamin C will interfere with your energy and mood during daily routines. Consuming foods rich in Vitamin C will help you in reducing depression and fatigue.
Vision Problems
Lack of sufficient Vitamin C can have major implications concerning your vision. As we age, our sight becomes weak and the chances increase without vitamin C. Minerals and antioxidants are needed to help the body maintain connective tissues in the eye.
This includes collagens in the cornea of the eye that improve your eyesight and prevent vision loss from age-related macular degeneration. To prevent this you can seek assistance from a nutritionist on how to improve eye health through diet.
Weight Gain
Low levels of vitamin C in your system affect the production of energy. The effects of this mean that the breakdown of nutrients slows down. The metabolism process slows down and body fat will increase.
Having a consistent supply of Vitamin C helps the metabolic process and the breakdown of fats keeping you fit.
Swollen and Painful Joints
Joints are consist of connective tissues consistent with collagens. If the connection between your joints have less padding due to cartilage tissue having a low number of collagens causes swelling and inflammation.
To ensure that your body has enough collagens to help in maintaining healthy joints, consume food rich in Vitamin C. This will help prevent the Swells and painful joints making it easy to move around.
What to Do About Vitamin C Deficiency
The best way to tackle vitamin C deficiency is by ensuring that you consume Vitamin C. Getting that daily dose has a variety of advantages like having smooth wrinkle-free skin, prevention of infections, improved eyesight and improved blood circulation, reduced risk of cancer-related diseases and low blood cholesterol.
To avoid vitamin C deficiencies eat foods rich in Vitamin C. The types of foods rich in Vitamin C are berries, mangoes, Tomatoes, Leafy greens, citrus fruits, peas, green and red bell peppers, and many more.
Balancing your diet should also be a priority to ensure the distribution of vitamins. It is also a good idea to visit a nutritionist to guide you through how to consume this type of food. This is because some might lose Vitamin C if cooked, so, find out which to consume while raw without heating them.
Understanding the role of vitamins to your body is very essential to boost your overall health. Visit our blog for insights on how to maintain good health, fitness and much more.
