People who get little or no vitamin C (below about 10 mg per day) for many weeks can get scurvy. Scurvy causes fatigue, inflammation of the gums, small red or purple spots on the skin, joint pain, poor wound healing, and corkscrew hairs.
Vitamin C deficiency manifests symptomatically after 8 to 12 weeks of inadequate intake and presents as irritability and anorexia. After these initial symptoms, dermatologic findings include poor wound healing, gingival swelling with loss of teeth, mucocutaneous petechiae, ecchymosis, and hyperkeratosis.
Persistent lack of dietary vitamin C in can lead to a condition called scurvy. Symptoms of scurvy include easy bruising, easy bleeding and joint and muscle pains. Vitamin C deficiency can be treated with supplements of vitamin C and a diet rich in vitamin C.
Signs of vitamin deficiency include dry and splitting hair; gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) and bleeding gums; rough, dry, scaly skin; decreased wound-healing rate, easy bruising; nosebleeds; and a decreased ability to ward off infection. A severe form of vitamin C deficiency is known as scurvy.
Subclinical vitamin C deficiency is much more common than is generally recognized,4 especially because the first symptom of deficiency is fatigue, a nonspecific and common complaint.
The Side Effects of Too Much Vitamin C
Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, heartburn, and esophagitis. You may also notice stomach cramps, diarrhea or intestinal obstruction. However, you can also experience symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, feeling sleepy or insomnia.
Citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato juice, and potatoes are major contributors of vitamin C to the American diet [8]. Other good food sources include red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe (see Table 2) [8,12].
Vitamin D deficiency is linked to many disease processes. It also plays a role in weight gain. If you're struggling with weight loss, there's a very good chance you're also struggling to store adequate amounts of vitamin D in your body.
What many do not know is that vitamin C plays a significant role in boosting sleep health. Studies have shown that individuals with greater concentrations of vitamin C have better sleep than those with reduced concentrations.
Weight Gain
Early research has found a link between low levels of vitamin C and higher amounts of body fat, especially belly fat. This vitamin may also play a role in how well your body burns fat for energy.
Taking too much vitamin C can cause side effects, including: Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Heartburn. Stomach cramps or bloating.
Vitamin B12
When your body does not receive enough vitamin B12 you may feel fatigued and tired all the time. It can also lead to weakness. Vitamin B12 deficiency affects the production of red blood cells which affect the transportation of oxygen throughout the body. This further contributes to tiredness.
There are several health conditions that can make you feel tired or exhausted. These include: iron deficiency anaemia. underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
Vitamin B12
Folic acid is not only required in the production of energy, but also in its release and regulation, which is super important for maintaining healthy levels of energy and reducing fatigue! B12 deficiencies can cause fatigue, weariness, weakness and other more severe side effects over time.
While vitamin C is an important nutrient, your body doesn't actually make it — so it's important to make sure you're getting enough vitamin C from your diet. The amount you need depends on your age and gender, but, in general, adults should aim to get between 65 to 90 mg of vitamin C per day.
However, the best way to know, according to Dr Kiran, is to notice the difference in your skin. “If you use the serum for a month and find your skin to be bright, clear, less sensitive to the sun, and you are feeling fresher, then vitamin C is definitely working,” she said.
Reduces tiredness and fatigue
Weakness and fatigue are among the symptoms of a vitamin C deficiency, so it's important to make sure you're getting enough. A cause and effect relationship has been established between the intake of adequate levels of vitamin C and reduced tiredness and fatigue.
Apart from other benefits, vitamin C helps in iron absorption, which is vital to prevent diseases such as anaemia, which is an outcome of a reduced number or quality of red blood cells in your body. Symptoms may include fatigue, paleness, shortness of breath, dizziness, weight loss and more.
Who is most at risk for vitamin C deficiency? Anyone can develop a vitamin C deficiency, but certain populations are at higher risk, including older adults, smokers, those with malabsorption syndromes, anyone with a limited diet, and individuals taking certain medications (such as corticosteroids).
Vitamin C deficiency and pain
Pain is a symptom of the vitamin C deficiency disease scurvy, presenting primarily within the musculoskeletal system as arthralgia in the knees, ankles and wrists, as well as myalgia [7, 11].
Vitamin C does not directly lead to fat oxidation or loss of body fat. However, it is related to body weight and waist circumference. One study found that vitamin C and body mass are inversely related, meaning low plasma ascorbic acid concentrations are linked to high body mass index (BMI).