A vitamin C deficiency is rare in the Netherlands, but not impossible. Your body does not make vitamin C itself and only keeps a small reserve of it. Eat little fruit and vegetables for weeks and you will notice. Below you can read how much vitamin C you need per day, which signals belong to a deficiency, who is at extra risk and what you can do about it.
How much vitamin C per day?
For adults from 18 years the recommended daily amount is 75 milligrams. Pregnant women need 85 milligrams, when breastfeeding it is 135 milligrams. For children an adequate intake applies: 20 milligrams up to age 6, 30 milligrams from 7 to 10, 45 milligrams from 11 to 14, and 55 (girls) or 65 (boys) milligrams from 15 to 17. These figures come from the Dutch Health Council and are listed by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.
If you take in slightly less than the recommended amount, you do not have a deficiency straight away. For most people the recommendation is more generous than what they strictly need. With an orange and a portion of vegetables a day you are already over it.
Can you take in too much vitamin C?
Vitamin C is water-soluble. An excess is passed in urine. That is why EFSA has not set a tolerable upper level. You can still get complaints from very high doses: above 2 grams a day vitamin C can cause bowel complaints or diarrhoea. A supplement of a few hundred milligrams is well below that.
What does vitamin C do in your body?
These health claims for vitamin C are approved in the EU:
- Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of blood vessels, bones, cartilage, gums, skin and teeth
- Vitamin C increases iron absorption
- Vitamin C contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress
- Vitamin C contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue
- Vitamin C contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to normal functioning of the nervous system
That list immediately explains why a deficiency shows in your resistance, your gums, your skin and your energy.
Symptoms of a vitamin C deficiency
A deficiency develops gradually. The reserve in your body is small, so after several weeks to months with too little vitamin C the first complaints can appear:
- Tiredness and weakness: often the first thing you notice, and at the same time the least specific signal.
- Reduced resistance: you catch colds more often or an infection drags on.
- Slow wound healing and bruising: vitamin C is needed to make collagen, the connective tissue that closes wounds.
- Bleeding or swollen gums: a classic sign. With a serious and prolonged deficiency scurvy develops, with bleeding gums and bleeding under the skin.
- Dry skin and brittle hair: collagen plays a role here too.
- Painful joints: with a longer-standing deficiency.
If you recognise several of these signals and have been eating little fruit and vegetables for a while, see your GP. A blood test can establish whether it really is vitamin C, or something else. Tiredness has a hundred causes; a shortage of iron or vitamin B12, for instance, gives similar complaints.
Who is at extra risk?
- People who eat little or one-sidedly, with little fresh fruit and vegetables
- Smokers, because smoking increases the need for vitamin C
- Older people who eat less varied food or struggle with shopping and cooking
- People who drink a lot of alcohol
- People with a condition that disrupts the absorption of nutrients, or who are ill for a long time
Where is vitamin C found?
Vitamin C is found in fruit, vegetables and potatoes. A few examples, with the figures from the Netherlands Nutrition Centre:
- A serving spoon of cooked Brussels sprouts (70 grams): 92 milligrams
- Half a raw red pepper (60 grams): 90 milligrams
- An orange (130 grams): 66 milligrams
- A bowl of strawberries (100 grams): 60 milligrams
- A kiwi (75 grams): 59 milligrams
- A boiled potato (70 grams): 6 milligrams
Vitamin C dissolves in water and is sensitive to heat and light. So cook vegetables briefly and in little water, and do not cut them too small. Raw peppers, fruit and briefly stir-fried vegetables keep the most.
When is a vitamin C supplement useful?
If you eat a varied diet, you easily get the 75 milligrams a day from your food. A supplement is a top-up for the situations above: when fruit and vegetables fall by the wayside for a while, if you smoke, or if you are recovering from an illness and eating little. Then choose a product with a clear dose per capsule, such as the vitamin C capsules by Together, and stick to the recommended amount on the label.
If you also use an iron supplement, take it together with vitamin C. Vitamin C increases iron absorption. You can read more combinations that do and do not work in the guide which vitamins can you take together. You will find more vitamins and minerals in our range.
A food supplement is no substitute for a varied diet. If complaints persist, see your GP.
Frequently asked questions about a vitamin C deficiency
How much vitamin C do you need per day?
Adults 75 milligrams, pregnant women 85 milligrams and when breastfeeding 135 milligrams. Children between 20 and 65 milligrams, depending on age. That is the advice of the Dutch Health Council.
How do you notice a vitamin C deficiency?
By tiredness, reduced resistance, small wounds that heal slowly, bruising more easily and bleeding gums. Those complaints are not unique to vitamin C, so have it tested by your GP if in doubt.
How quickly does a deficiency develop?
The reserve in your body is small. If you eat almost no fruit and vegetables for weeks to months, the first complaints can develop. With a normal diet that does not happen.
Can you take too much vitamin C?
An excess is passed in urine and no upper level has been set. Above 2 grams a day you can get bowel complaints or diarrhoea.
What is the best time to take vitamin C?
It makes little difference, because it is water-soluble. What is useful: take vitamin C together with an iron supplement, because it increases iron absorption. Spread high doses over the day.
Does vitamin C help against colds?
The approved claim is that vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system. That is something different from preventing or curing a cold; there is no approved claim for that.
