• Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and is also referred to as ascorbic acid.


• Vitamin C is an essential nutrient, which means we cannot produce it in our own body - we must get it through our food.


• Scurvy is a disease that is a breakdown of the collagen fiber that connects the tissues of the body together. You may have heard collagen called 'connective tissue'.


• Collagen is the 'glue' that holds us together; when it breaks down, the cells and tissues literally fall apart. Without enough vitamin C, we die.


• Collagen is the stuff of hair, skin, nails, muscles, joints, bones, teeth - everything.


• The ancient Greek word for scurvy is 'scorbutus'; Hippocrates made note of scurvy in his writings.


• Sailors suffered from scurvy on long voyages, and it was discovered that citrus fruit would cure the disease.


• Vitamin C was called 'ascorbic acid' by the discoverer because it cures 'scorbutus', or scurvy.


• Vitamin C occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables including citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, limes, tangerines and mandarins. Other natural sources of vitamin C include tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, potatoes, peppers, cauliflower, peas, and many other delicious foods.


• Vitamin C works as a very beneficial antioxidant, assisting in protecting the body from heart disease and cancers by rooting out harmful free radicals contained within the body.


• It also supports a healthy immune system and can increase the healing time of various wounds. Facts on Vitamin C include its well-known use as a treatment for the common cold. Vitamin C can help to decrease cold symptoms and speed healing time.


• A lessor-known fact is that Vitamin C is necessary for the body to build collagen, the fibrous connective tissue that binds bones, joints, tendons and ligaments together.


• Without Vitamin C, the body cannot make collagen. That means it cannot make new hair, skin, repair arteries and veins, build muscle or bone, or retain a grip on the teeth in the jawbone.


• Scurvy remains a problem today. Vitamin C is still needed on a daily basis to prevent scurvy, vitamin c deficiency.



• People commonly have what is called 'sub-clinical scurvy'.

  Sub-clinical scurvy means a person gets enough vitamin C to sustain life, but not much more.

  This means they are getting just barely enough vitamin C to not have major symptoms of vitamin c deficiency, such as losing their teeth and dying; but not getting enough to allow the body to use the vitamin C in all its roles needed maintain health and sustain life.

• Vitamin C is used by the body in many ways - building new collagen, repairing blood vessels, supporting the immune system, fighting free-radicals as an antioxidant, etc.


• Individuals who do not get enough vitamin C will develop a gradually worsening deficiency that results in the following symptoms and more: easy bruising, swollen and bleeding gums, wounds that have trouble healing, and osteoporosis.


• Other symptoms of vitamin c deficiency include the bone loss of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Vitamin c is needed for collagen, and collagen is what calcium attaches to in the bone. Without collagen bones become fragile and break more easily, and do not repair well.


• In fact, without vitamin C present, healing and repair of damaged tissue cannot take place. Death is the final outcome of severe vitamin C deficiency.


• Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant - it helps repair cells damaged by things called free-radicals.


• Pollution from things like tobacco smoke, exhaust fumes, and chemicals including food preservatives create free-radicals; anti-oxidants help clear the free-radicals from the body.


• In fact, vitamin C is known to be a very powerful antioxidant, and vitamin C is used up when the body uses it as an antioxidant. This is a reason that smokers have greater risk for developing the bone loss of osteopenia and osteoporosis.


• An important fact about vitamin C for smokers, for example, is that individuals who smoke are at greater risk for vitamin C deficiency and require more of a daily intake than non-smokers, because they use up more of their vitamin C with every puff. This is one reasons smokers have more illness, and more difficulty recovering from diseases and injuries.


• The body does not store vitamin C for long periods of time. Daily excesses will be excreted and the body will require more supplementation the following day.


• There are no known serious side-effects to taking too much
  vitamin C. During illness, very large amounts can be taken - 10grams or more - and all of it is used by your body for healing and recovery. As recovery progresses, the body will let you know that you have enough, or no longer need to take as much, by causing mild loosening of the stools.


• Individuals interested in supplementing their diets with vitamin C should take into consideration these Vitamin C facts and learn about its ability to compliment and work well with other nutrients.


• For prevention and reversal of osteopenia and osteoporosis, vitamin C is equally as important as calcium.

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