Vitamin C is an important nutrient that our body needs in order to maintain a certain balance when it comes to our nutritional intake and in order to avoid any deficiency of the nutrient in itself.
There are a few important risk factors that you can keep in mind when it comes to the development of Vitamin C deficiency, like alcoholism, smoking, poor diet and anorexia. You also have to understand that the symptoms associated with severe Vitamin C deficiency might take an extended amount of time to make themselves known, but there are few subtle symptoms and signs that you can watch out for to begin with.
- Fatigue and Bad Mood:
One of the tell-tale signs of Vitamin C deficiency is fatigue and extreme tiredness. If you find yourself getting tired easily and are experiencing low amount of energy outputs, then you just might be suffering from Vitamin C deficiency.
However, since fatigue can be connected to a lot of other health issues and problems, coming to a diagnosis, solely based on this sign could prove to be slightly difficult when it comes to diagnosing Vitamin C deficiency.
Another sign, that points to Vitamin C deficiency are mood swings. Irritability is common in people who are deficient in Vitamin C and both these symptoms, are the very first ones to appear when Vitamin C deficiency lets itself known. But when given the right amount of Vitamin C dose, these symptoms have known to vanish over a 24 hour period.
- Painful Joints and Muscles and Weak Bones:
Did you know that your joints contain connective tissues that essentially contain a lot of collagen in it? Due to vitamin C deficiency in your body, even these connective tissues become affected. Sometimes the joint and muscle pain is so severe that it might even result in limping and difficulty walking.
The deficiency might also cause less padding within the joints, which further causes swelling and more pain. Taking Vitamin C supplements in such cases is always advisable since with regular consumption of Vitamin C supplement this issue too can be resolved within a week.
Since Vitamin C also plays a crucial role in bone formation, a deficiency of the same can literally increase the risk of fractures and osteoporosis.
- Dental Issues:
A healthy dose of Vitamin C, when had each day, makes sure that your teeth and gums stay healthy and far from issues. But if you are deficient in Vitamin C, a lot many complications come into being, when it comes to the health of your teeth and gums.
Any periodontal problem that you might be facing could possibly be the result of a Vitamin C deficiency, that has continued to grow and has now reached a really harmful level. This kind of issue is also known as scurvy which we are sure, most of you must have heard and read about!
There might also come a time, when the gums get so damaged that your teeth might just start falling out, due to unhealthy gums and a weak dentin layer, that is basically the calcified inner layer of your teeth. Scary stuff, isn’t it?
- Poor Immunity:
According to many types of research, it has been found that Vitamin C collects inside many immune cells so as to help our body fight various infections and also helps ward off disease-causing agents. The risks of infections increase when you suffer from Vitamin C deficiency including delayed healing of wounds too.
Vitamin C deficiency truly does sound quite scary, doesn’t it? Well, the positive part is that all these problems and issues can easily be prevented with the right kind of diet and adequate Vitamin C intake. Remember, a healthy and balanced diet in itself, can cure a lot of health issues, without any harmful effects!
