Vitamin C

Group members:

Ayesha SarfrazRoomana AliMunaza Islam

HistoryThe need to include fresh plant and raw animal flesh in to prevent disease is known from ancient times.

In 1536 the french explorers Jacques Cartier and Daniel Knezevic exploring the st lawrence river used local native knowledge to save his man from scurvy.

…He boiled needles of arbor vitae tree to make a tea that was later shown to contain 50mg of vitamin c per 100 g.

The earliset case documented on scurvy was described by hippocrates around 400 BC.

It was attempted by a ship’s surgeon in the british royal navy named James Lind.

Some sea sailors developed scurvy when they were on sea.This was found to be due to lack of fruits and vegetables in diet.

…

James Lind documented that there was some substance in citrus fruits that can cure scurvy.

He developed a method to preserve and concentrate citrus juice to overcome ascorbic acid deficency.

it was found that citrus fruits contain high amount of vitamin c that cures scurvy

Sources of vitamin CVegetable sources;It includes parsley , broccoli, lemon, cauliflower ,garlic, onion ,beetroot , cucumber ,egg plant ,lettuce cabbage , tomato , rose hip , chili pepper(green).

Fruit source;It includes many fruits such as grape, apricot , plum , watrermelon , banana , avocado , cherry, kiwi , lychee , blueberry , orange , pineapple.

oAnimal sources;oCalf liver(raw)oBeef liver(raw)oOysters (raw)oCod roe(fried)oLamb brain.(roast)oLamb brain.(boiled)oChicken liver.(fried)oCamel milk (fresh)oLamb tongue (stewed)oCow milk (fresh)

Vitamin CBy:Roomana Ali

•Molecular weight: 176.1•Empirical formula: C6H8O6•Melting point: about 190°C (with decomposition)•Appearance: white to slightly yellowish crystalline powder, practically odorless, with a strong acidic taste.

•The ascorbic acid molecule contains four hydroxyl groups in positions 2, 3, 5 and 6• the -OH group in position 3 is acidic (pKa,3=4.2)•the hydroxyl in position 2 has pKa,2=11.6•OH in position 5 and 6 behave as a secondary and primary alcoholic residue respectively

STRUCTURE

Is Ascorbic Acid and Vitamin C Identical?

Despite popular belief, they are not structurally identical

It is produced in a laboratory and is an artificialy reduced form of the natural Vitamin C.

Ascorbic acid was invented as a synthetic version to replace the natural form which is destroyed by heat.  So when you drink that glass of orange juice in the morning, you aren’t actually consuming natural Vitamin C. Rather, you are consuming synthetic ascorbic acid which was added to replace the original.

The ascorbate ion is is a mild reducing agent and antioxidant.The synthestic ascorbic acid may cause cancer.It can also cause thickning of artries.It is water soluble, so vitamin c cannot be stored in the body, and is excreted in the urine within 2 to 4 hours of ingestion, making it necessary to ingest it daily. Vitamin C is soluble in water because it has four hydroxyl groups each of which is a good hydrogen bonder.In foods, ph influences the stability of ascorbic acid. It exhibits maximal stability between ph 4 and 6

VITAMIN C DEFICIENCY

Deficiency, or a lack, of vitamin C in the body happens because of a lack of sufficient amounts of vitamin C in the diet. Over time, a lack of vitamin C means that new collagen cannot be formed. This causes various tissues in the body to start to break down and the health and repair of the body becomes affected

How common is vitamin C deficiency? There are certain groups of people who are more at risk of

vitamin C deficiency. They include: Victims of famine, and refugees. People who go on fad diets. unhealthy diet – people who regularly neglect their diet such

as alcoholics, illicit drug users, the elderly or the mentally ill crash dieting – particularly some diets that exclude food

groups (for example, extreme versions of the high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet)

eating disorders – like anorexia nervosa or bulimia smoking – because smokers need more vitamin C to cope

with the extra stress on their body fussy eating – some fussy eaters will not eat fruits and

vegetables.

People living on a low income who tend not to buy foods with a high vitamin C content..

Older people who may eat a less varied diet. Smokers. Smoking affects the absorption of

vitamin C from foods and also vitamin C is used up in the body more quickly in those who smoke.

Pregnant and breast-feeding women because they need higher amounts of vitamin C.

What are the symptoms of vitamin C deficiency?

Tiredness and weakness. Muscle and joint pains. Easy bruising. Spots that look like tiny, red-blue bruises on

the skin Dry skin. Splitting hair.

Swelling and discoloration of the gums. Spontaneous bleeding from the gums. Nosebleeds. Poor healing of wounds. Problems fighting infections. Bleeding into joints, causing severe joint

pains. Changes in the bones. Tooth loss. Weight loss.

If not diagnosed and treated, vitamin C deficiency can lead to:

jaundice, generalised oedema (swelling), shortness of breath, nerve problems, fever and convulsions. Bleeding inside the brain and around the

heart can cause death in some people with untreated vitamin C deficiency.

SCURVY:

Chronic (persistent) vitamin C deficiency, usually over a period of around three months or more, can lead to an illness known as scurvy.

. Symptoms and signs of severe scurvy are more specific and may include: swollen, spongy and purplish gums that are prone to bleedingloose teeth, bulging eyes ,bleeding into the skin ,dry and brownish skin , very dry hair that curls and breaks off close to the skin, slow-healing wounds, opening of previously healed scarsbleeding into the joints and muscles, which causes areas of swelling over the bones of the arms and legs.

SYMPTOMS OF SCURVY:Some of the non-specific symptoms of scurvy may include : fatigue ,loss of appetite , nausea , diarrhea , fever , painful joints and musclessmall ‘pinpoint’ bleeding around hair follicles visible in the skin.

TREATMENT OF SCURVY:Scurvy is relatively easy to treat – the person simply needs to increase their daily intake of vitamin C. A doctor may recommend a short-term course of vitamin C supplements (usually a minimum of 250 mg per day) to speed relief of symptoms. Bleeding in the skin and gums should stop within 24 hours of effective treatment. Joint and muscle pain may take a few weeks to settle.

Age EAR RDI

Men

19-30 yr 30 mg/day 45 mg/day

31-50 yr 30 mg/day 45 mg/day

51-70 yr 30 mg/day 45 mg/day

>70 yr 30 mg/day 45 mg/day

Women

19-30 yr 30 mg/day 45 mg/day

31-50 yr 30 mg/day 45 mg/day

51-70 yr 30 mg/day 45 mg/day

>70 yr 30 mg/day 45 mg/day•

In pregnency 55 to 60 mg/day

DAILY INTAKE REQUIRED FOR ADULTS

THANK YOU

REFRENCES•

ht//www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/vitaminchttps:•//www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/vitamin-chttps://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/vitamin-chtthttp ://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Scurvyps://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/vitamin-chttps://

www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/vitamin-chttps://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/vitamin-c

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Scurvy

http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Food-Function-and-Structure/Sci-Media/Video/Current-research-on-vitamin-C