Could You Be Lacking Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is the one everybody has heard of and almost nobody thinks about past orange juice. It is also one your body cannot make or store, so it has to arrive regularly.

Signs you might be low

• Fatigue and weakness
• Frequent bruising
• Swollen, bleeding gums and, in time, tooth loss
• Joint pain and swelling
• Dry, rough or scaly skin
• Slow wound healing
• Nosebleeds
• Getting sick more often than usual
• Irritability or mood changes

What your body uses it for

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and it is involved in collagen production, which is why the signs of running low show up in gums, skin and healing before they show up anywhere else. It also helps you absorb iron from the food you eat.

You will find a great deal written online about what vitamin C does beyond that. Some of it is well supported and some of it is not, so I would rather point you at your GP than repeat claims I cannot stand behind.

Where you get it

Your body does not produce it, so all of it comes from your diet. Especially good sources are citrus fruit, strawberries, kiwifruit, capsicum, kale, spinach and broccoli.

Running low is more common in people on limited diets or with certain medical conditions. Stress, illness and a poor diet all use it up faster than usual.

If this sounds like you

Eat more of the list above first, because it is easy, cheap and works. If the symptoms are the serious end of that list, particularly bleeding gums or wounds that will not close, see your GP rather than reaching for a supplement.