Guest guest Posted January 25, 2003 Report Share Posted January 25, 2003 > Junk Food Diet Brings Scurvy to Modern Age > Wed January 22, 2003 01:48 PM ET > By Alison McCook > NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A diet completely > lacking in fruits and > vegetables caused a young college student to develop > a condition linked to a > low intake of vitamin C, US researchers reported > Tuesday. > > The young man developed scurvy even though he was > eating plenty of calories > and had no deficiencies in most other vitamins and > minerals. Scurvy, a > disease characterized by bleeding gums, loose teeth, > muscle degeneration and > weakness, was once the scourge of sailors, who found > that sucking on a lime > could keep the disease at bay. > > The student confessed to doctors that he ate no > fruits and vegetables, > consuming only a few types of foods--namely, cheese, > crackers, soda, > cookies, chocolate and water. > > Based on the patient's diet, researchers estimate he > was taking in around > 0.1 milligram of vitamin C per day. The current > recommended daily allowance > (RDA) for vitamin C for nonsmoking men is 90 > milligrams per day. > > This case demonstrates that even seemingly healthy > people can develop a > deficiency in vitamin C, study author Barbara > Hermreck of the Lawrence > Memorial Hospital in Kansas told Reuters Health. > > Just because people eat enough food, " that doesn't > mean that it's a given > that they are getting enough vitamin C, " she said. > > Hermreck added that the student would have needed to > take in only minimal > amounts of vitamin C to offset his risk of > developing scurvy. She estimated > that most men and women could meet their daily > vitamin C needs with only one > four- to eight-ounce glass of orange juice. > > " It doesn't take much orange juice to keep it from > being a problem, " she > said. > > She and her colleagues presented the case Tuesday > during a meeting of the > American Society for Parenteral and Enteral > Nutrition in San Antonio, Texas. > > Scurvy is a relatively uncommon condition, Hermreck > explained, although it > tends to pop up more often among the elderly or > alcoholics, who tend to have > highly unbalanced diets. However, previous research > has suggested that many > Americans have relatively low levels of vitamin C in > their blood, but the > deficiencies are not extreme enough to develop into > scurvy. > > Smoking cigarettes and feeling stressed can also > boost vitamin C needs, > Hermreck noted. > > The patient featured in the current case study > visited a doctor because he > was experiencing swelling and bruising on his legs. > Hermreck explained that > one of the signs of scurvy is a change in skin color > on the legs, a result > of bleeding underneath the skin. > > A further examination showed the patient had > bleeding gums and a rapid > heartbeat. > > The patient was diagnosed with scurvy after he > revealed his eating habits > and blood samples showed levels of vitamin C that > were at least four-fold > below normal range. > > After only four days of taking a multivitamin and a > vitamin C supplement, > the bruising and discoloration in the patient's legs > had almost disappeared, > his gums had ceased to bleed and his heart rate > decreased. Another two weeks > of extra vitamin C improved his condition even > further, Hermreck noted. > > " It was just a number of days " before the patient > began to improve with > extra vitamin C, she said. > > People need vitamin C every day, Hermreck added. > However, she said she > believed that clinical signs of scurvy would not > appear until after between > one and three months of a consistently low intake of > vitamin C, such as less > than five milligrams per day. > > Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 27, 2003 Report Share Posted January 27, 2003 Thanks, Allison, for posting this report. The message here is actually beyond this particular study. >>...student confessed...he ate no fruits and vegetables, consuming only a few types of foods--namely, cheese, crackers, soda, cookies, chocolate and water.<< When I was in college this was a typical diet for the people around me too. I wonder how common it is today? >>...case demonstrates that even seemingly healthy people can develop a deficiency in vitamin C...<< I'll bet with that diet other deficiencies could easily have be found. " Seemingly healthy " is not a standard I'd use for myself. It seems to me that the standards for healthcare are set so low. >>...because people eat enough food, " ...doesn't mean that it's a given that they are getting enough vitamin C, " ...<< OR...the proper amount of a hundred plus other " micro " nutrients. I'm actually surprised that we as veggies don't visit such topics more often. But, then again, if this study is to be believed, we ALL think we're getting what we need because we have no readily apparent " diagnosable " ailment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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