Vitamin C: The 7 Signs You're Not Getting Enough

Let’s talk about the best indicators of a vitamin C deficiency. It’s crucial to understand that synthetic vitamin C is very different from natural vitamin C. In nature, vitamins come as a complex. Ascorbic acid, which is synthetic vitamin C, is only one piece of the vitamin C complex.

The 7 Signs You’re Not Getting Enough Vitamin C

There are roughly about 7 ways to know if you are low in vitamin c .

Vitamin C explained

But I first wanna cover some confusions about vitamin c .

The first one is between synthetic vitamin c and natural vitamin c .

If you look this up , you’ll you’ll be told that they’re the same .

There’s no difference between synthetic vitamin c and natural vitamin c .

Chemically , they’re the exact identical molecules .

Well , these studies , if you actually read them , mainly talk about absorption rate .

It’s absorbed the same .

Well , they might be the same , but in nature , they’re very , very different .

In fact , ascorbic acid , which is now called vitamin c , really is just one little piece of the vitamin c complex .

In nature , you never see just plain ascorbic acid .

But when you see the studies that show there’s no difference between synthetic versus natural , they’re really only talking about absorption rate .

They’re not talking about if vitamin c created an effect in the body .

They’re mainly talking about , well , it absorbs at the same rate in the same amount .

But I wanna know , will it actually fix my problem ?

Well , even the gentleman who discovered vitamin c , okay , back , I think it was 1939 , said that you can’t cure scurvy , with isolated ascorbic acid .

You can’t cure scurvy .

Scurvy is a severe vitamin c deficiency .

And I’m not saying that there’s no benefits from synthetic vitamin c .

I just want to let you know there’s a huge difference between synthetic versus what you see in nature that is part of the vitamin c complex .

And most of the synthetic vitamin c that is sold out there is made by China , and they make it from sulfuric acid in cornstarch .

And you’re gonna tell me that’s the same thing as what they have in nature .

Well , I don’t think so .

In nature , vitamin c comes as a complex .

You have ascorbic acid as one part .

You also have vitamin p , which is the the bioflavonoids part , And p stands for permeability because it’s related to vascular permeability .

And this is why if you’re deficient , you tend to have more bleeding because there’s more leaking through your capillaries

And then you also have vitamin k as part of the vitamin c complex too .

So that’s included in a lot of functions , and the j factor has to do with increasing oxygen in the lung .

And you also have copper as a trace mineral within the vitamin c complex in an enzyme form called tyrosinase , which is involved in rebuilding collagen , okay , and connective tissue .

So this is why vitamin c is very , very important in collagen formation , connective tissue , joint health , and a lot of the vitamin c is stored in the adrenal glands .

And your white blood cells also need vitamin c as part of the immune system .

When you take vitamin c , the duration of your cold can be a little bit less , but your immune system needs vitamin c .

Benefits of vitamin C

Vitamin c is good for connective tissue and also supporting the walls of the capillaries to make sure they don’t leak .

Vitamin c is a very powerful antioxidant .

In one study , which I’m gonna put down below , they tested in a lab .

So they took vitamin c , and they wanted to see if it it was a really good antioxidant .

And they found it actually was a pro oxidant , okay , in this study .

Well , what does that mean ?

Well , very simply , if you envision a free radical , okay , which is it’s kind of an unpaired electron .

Let’s say you took this little plate that’s spinning on my finger , and you had 2 different weights on either side to balance it out as it spins .

And then you took one of these these weights off .

You can compare that to a free radical because it’s an unpaired electron .

So we have , something that’s not gonna balance .

And since the thing is spinning , you can have a lot of damage with this unstable radical molecule .

And antioxidant comes in and donates that missing electron , so now it can be balanced and spin and be more stable .

But if you’re gonna take , ascorbic acid , okay , or any synthetic antioxidant , And what’s gonna happen , it’s going to donate its electron , and then it itself is gonna be unpaired .

It becomes a free radical .

In nature and in your body , you you always have networks of antioxidants .

So the one donates electron , it can then receive another electron from another antioxidant , and they can share their electrons .

In fact , vitamin c helps to regenerate vitamin e with this very , same mechanism .

Because , let’s say , for example , you have a lot of , problems in your arteries and vitamin e is donating the electrons and you also took vitamin c .

Vitamin c can help recharge the vitamin e so it can then start donating more of these electrons to help with this antioxidant effect .

Top symptoms of low vitamin C

What are the ways that you can determine if you’re low in vitamin c ?

number 1 , the big one is bleeding gums .

If you brush your teeth and it’s now these red little streaks in your toothbrush and you’re bleeding and your gums , chances are you’re low in vitamin c .

Number 2 , you might have these small little red and purple dots on your skin .

Sometimes you see them in the lower leg .

Sometimes they can be anywhere on the body .

But this is an indication of low vitamin c .

number 3 , is bruising .

Now remember I talked about this k one right here in the vitamin c complex ?

Well , vitamin k helps to prevent bleeding .

So it’s kind of a coagulation .

So it’s gonna help you prevent , this excessive bleeding when you injure yourself .

Vitamin C: The 7 Signs You're Not Getting Enough

But if you have a vitamin c deficiency without any injury , no no reason for bruising and you get a bruise , you might wanna look at a vitamin c deficiency .

Next one is dry , rough , scaly skin .

That can be a vitamin c deficiency .

And as a side note , the chemical , structure of vitamin c is very similar to glucose .

And so if you’re consuming sugar at the same time you’re consuming vitamin c , guess what’s gonna take priority ?

The glucose .

This is why kids , adults who consume a lot of sugar are usually always low in vitamin c .

Also , if you’re a smoker , you’re gonna be deficient in vitamin c because the need for vitamin c goes way up .

Chicken skin .

Like , maybe in the back of the arms , you see these little little , bumps that you have .

And they’re slightly red , or it could be on the legs or your thighs .

That could be a vitamin c deficiency .

It could also be an omega 3 fatty acid deficiency as well .

Nosebleeds are a symptom of low vitamin c .

And then we have dry splitting hair , which is another indication that you are low in vitamin c .

The best source of vitamin C

Now the best way to get vitamin c is from food or food concentrates , from lemon or lemon juice .

The problem with lemon juice is that it’s heated , and heat destroys vitamin c .

So if you’re gonna use lemon juice to get your vitamin c , make sure you get it from actual lemons that you juice or blend the whole lemon like I do in the morning with a glass of water and a teaspoon of my electrolyte powder .

It tastes great .