Vitamin C Deficiency
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Many groups are at risk of vitamin C deficiency:
- People over 65
People over 65 may need more vitamin C in general as they may not be absorbing it properly from the foods they eat. They may especially need more vitamin C if they take medications that interfere with vitamin C absorption, so they can easily become deficient. - People that have recently had surgery
People that have recently had surgery may require more vitamin C because their body is quickly using up all the stores of vitamin C to heal the wounds faster and fight any infections, so they could be depleting their stores of vitamin C and supplementation may be required. - People under major and prolonged stress
People under major and prolonged stress are using up all of their stores of vitamin C really quickly to deal with the metabolic effects of the stress and could become deficient (even mildly), so supplementation may be required. - People with allergies
People with allergies are using up all of their stores of vitamin C really quickly to deal with the metabolic effects of the allergies on their body and could become deficient (even mildly), so supplementation may be required. - People with asthma
People with asthma are using up all of their stores of vitamin C really quickly to deal with the metabolic effects of asthma on their body and could become deficient (even mildly), so supplementation may be required.
There are many groups of people who may be at risk for Vitamin C deficiency
- People with chronic or acute infections / illnesses
People with chronic or acute infections / illnesses especially need more vitamin C, as it is necessary to help boost the immune system so that it can fight the infection or illness; supplementation may be required. - People with diabetes
People with diabetes may not be absorbing enough vitamin C from the food they eat very well and may be excreting a lot of it in their urine, so they could become deficient and require supplementation. - Smokers
Cigarette smoke breaks down vitamin C very quickly so that it is not absorbed properly and becomes excreted. In addition to this, extra vitamin C is needed to combat the oxidative damage smoking does to cells. Even people who are exposed to passive smoking need extra vitamin C supplementation because they are also being exposed to the damaging oxidative effects of the cigarette smoke when they passively inhale it. - Women that are pregnant or breastfeeding
Women that are pregnant or breastfeeding may need a little more vitamin C to top up their reserves, because much of the nutrients in the foods they eat are being passed onto the baby.