|
A junk food diet
of cheese, crackers, soda, cookies, chocolate and water--along
with no fruit and vegetables whatsoever--caused a young college
student to develop scurvy, a condition brought on by vitamin
C deficiency.
Scurvy, which once
affected sailors who did not get enough vitamin C in their
diets, is characterized by symptoms such as bleeding gums,
loose teeth, muscle degeneration and weakness.
Another sign of
scurvy is a change in skin color on the legs, which results
from bleeding underneath the skin. The student went to the
doctor because he was experiencing swelling and bruising on
his legs. He was also found to have bleeding gums and a rapid
heartbeat.
Although the student
was eating enough calories, researchers estimated that his
vitamin C intake was about 0.1 milligram per day--well below
the 90 milligrams per day recommended daily allowance (RDA)
for nonsmoking men. His blood level of vitamin C was found
to be at least four-fold below normal range.
He was advised
to take a multivitamin and a vitamin C supplement, and after
four days of use his symptoms greatly improved. The condition
improved further after an additional two weeks of extra vitamin
C.
Researchers stressed
that people need vitamin C every day, and even though they
may be eating enough food, they may not be getting enough
vitamin C.
Scurvy occurs more
often among the elderly and alcoholics, who often have unbalanced
diets. Previous research has shown that although many Americans
have low levels of vitamin C, the deficiencies are not enough
to cause scurvy.
Factors such as
smoking cigarettes and feeling stressed may increase the amount
of vitamin C that a person needs, researchers noted.
Annual
Meeting of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral
Nutrition in San Antonio, Texas January 22, 2003
| 