Vitamin C: Dr. Shivani Pandey, Department of Biochemistry, K.G. Medical University, Lucknow
Vitamin C: Dr. Shivani Pandey, Department of Biochemistry, K.G. Medical University, Lucknow
Vitamin C: Dr. Shivani Pandey, Department of Biochemistry, K.G. Medical University, Lucknow
• Unlike most mammals, humans do not have the ability to make their own
vitamin C. Therefore, we must obtain vitamin C through our diet.
• Fun fact: "ascorbic acid" comes from the New Latin "scorbutus" meaning
scurvy!
• Structure
• Metabolism
– oxidation/reduction
– dehydroascorbic acid
– dehydroascorbate
reductase
– glutathione (GSH)
• glutamate-cysteine-
glycine
Orange 1 medium 70
Grapefruit ½ medium 44
Strawberries 1 cup, whole 82
Tomato 1 medium 23
Sweet red pepper ½ cup, raw 141
chopped
Broccoli ½ cup, cooked 58
Potato 1 medium, baked 26
Cardiovascular Disease
Stroke
Cataracts
Lead toxicity
Dr. Shivani Pandey, Department of Biochemistry
Scurvy
• Bleeding gums
• petechiae
• easy bruising
• impaired wound healing and bone repair
• joint pain
• anemia
Figure3: Gingivitis
Dr. Shivani Pandey, Department of Biochemistry
Treatment & Prevention
• Treatment is simply with vitamin C supplements taken orally.
• The adult dose is 800-1000mg/day for at least 1 week, then
400mg/day until complete recovery.
• In the U.S., the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for
vitamin C was recently revised upward from 60 mg daily for
men and women. The RDA continues to be based primarily on
the prevention of deficiency disease, rather than the
prevention of chronic disease and the promotion of optimum
health.
• Infants who are being weaned from breast milk to cow's milk
need a supplement containing vitamin C. [5]+[2]
Folic acid