Vitamin C deficiency in the body

Who is at risk of vitamin C deficiency?

Vitamin C plays a crucial role in the production of thyroid hormones, so getting enough of it is crucial. The average person consumes 200-300 mg of carbohydrate per day, primarily from sugar and refined grains, with a small portion of vegetables and fruits. Vitamin C deficiency is very common in such people.

Even if you provide the recommended daily dose of vitamin C, excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates leads to a deficiency of this vitamin in the body (it is assumed that in the case of a healthy person it is 60 mg per day). Furthermore, if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, your risk of vitamin C deficiency is much higher.

Glucose and vitamin C.

The structure of vitamin C molecules and glucose molecules is similar. Animals can produce vitamin C on their own using glucose obtained from the food they eat. Unfortunately, because people lack the enzymes required for this type of conversion, they must obtain vitamin C from their food. Both glucose and vitamin C require insulin to pass through cell membranes. Glucose and vitamin C compete for cell entry, but this isn’t fair competition because our bodies prefer glucose to vitamin C. Vitamin C absorption is limited when blood glucose levels are high. When you eat a carbohydrate-rich meal, the carbohydrates are converted to glucose, which prevents vitamin C absorption. It works in the following way: when we eat more carbohydrates, our blood glucose level rises, and our bodies use less vitamin C.

This means that you can drink sweetened drinks and eat vitamin C-fortified breakfast cereals, but the sugar in these products will effectively prevent vitamin C absorption into our bodies. As a result, a high-carbohydrate diet may result in a vitamin C deficiency. If you have even mild insulin resistance or are diabetic, your blood glucose levels will remain elevated for a long time, preventing vitamin C absorption. This is why a high-carbohydrate diet can cause a vitamin C deficiency, which causes the thyroid gland to function less effectively.

The effects of vitamin C deficiency

The absorption of vitamin C by the body is influenced by carbohydrate consumption. It is extremely important, but the medical community has yet to recognise its significance. When we deliver the correct level of vitamin C, a severe vitamin C deficiency can occur. Scurvy is caused by a lack of vitamin C, which can cause anaemia, frequent infections, depression, bleeding gums, dental problems, slow wound healing, body weakness, muscle and joint pain, and progressive arteriosclerosis, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke, as well as death. A high-carbohydrate diet increases the risk of a stroke or heart attack significantly more than a high-fat diet.