Can vitamin C cause scurvy? Yes, if you suddenly stop taking it after youve been ingesting large doses for a while. The condition is called rebound scurvy.
Its been known for centuries that small amounts of vitamin C can prevent scurvy, a painful disease that leads to bleeding gums and loose teeth. British sailors took vitamin C-rich limes to eat on long voyages to prevent the disease and got the nickname limeys.
Recently, however, doctors have begun to diagnose scurvy in people who have been taking large amounts of vitamin C in the hope of preventing colds, and then quit suddenly, perhaps because their supply ran out or theyve decided to choose an alternative preventative method. The doctors found rebound scurvy not only in adults who abruptly stopped taking vitamin C, but also in infants born to women who took megadoses of the vitamin during pregnancy.
Most people who believe vitamin C will lessen their chances of catching cold take at least 1,000 milligrams a day, and often more. When a person does so, the body must speed up its method of eliminating the excess, and the accelerated rate persists even after the patient stops taking the vitamin.
As a result, essential vitamin C may be washed out of the system and cause damage to the oral tissues. Its recommended that people take no more than 100 to 200mg of vitamin C daily. And if youre already taking megadoses, taper off instead of quitting cold turkey.
Robin Westen is ThirdAges medical reporter. Check for her daily updates. She is the author of Ten Days to Detox: How to Look and Feel a Decade Younger.
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