Can you actually get scurvy in a developed country?

Yes — it's rare but not extinct. Cases still turn up in people with very restricted diets: severe food insecurity, alcohol use disorder, extremely picky eating (including some autistic children and adults), and older adults living alone who eat little fresh produce. Full scurvy needs weeks to months of near-zero intake, but milder deficiency is more common than the word 'scurvy' suggests.

Why do smokers need more vitamin C?

Smoking increases oxidative stress in the body, which burns through vitamin C faster. The NIH sets the requirement 35 mg/day higher for smokers than non-smokers for exactly this reason.

Does cooking destroy vitamin C in food?

Substantially, yes. Vitamin C is water-soluble and breaks down with heat, so boiling vegetables can cut their vitamin C content by half or more. Steaming, microwaving, or eating produce raw preserves much more of it than boiling.

Is bleeding gums always a vitamin C problem?

No — gum disease from poor oral hygiene is by far the more common cause. But if your gums bleed easily despite decent brushing and flossing, and you also bruise easily or heal slowly, vitamin C intake is worth looking at alongside a dental checkup.

Vitamin C Deficiency Test: Check Your Symptoms Online

Based on NIH Office of Dietary Supplements guidance · Last reviewed: July 15, 2026 · How we source our content

Vitamin C deficiency has an image problem: most people associate it with scurvy and 18th-century sailors, so they never connect their own bruising, bleeding gums, or slow-healing cuts to their actual vegetable intake. The body can't make or store vitamin C — you're running on whatever you ate in roughly the last few weeks, and that reserve empties faster than most other nutrients.

Bruising, bleeding gums, slow healing?

Our free assessment weighs your symptoms and diet in about 2 minutes.

Why it shows up in connective tissue first

Vitamin C's main job is building collagen — the structural protein that holds blood vessel walls, skin, gums, and healing wounds together. That's why deficiency symptoms cluster around exactly those tissues rather than causing the generic fatigue you'd expect from most nutrient shortfalls:

Bruising more easily than usual — weakened capillary walls leak under minor pressure
Bleeding or swollen gums — often the earliest noticeable sign
Cuts and wounds that heal slowly — collagen synthesis stalls without it
Dry, rough, or "corkscrew" body hair — a classic but under-recognized sign
Joint pain or swelling — from small bleeds around joints in more advanced cases

Fatigue and irritability do appear too, but usually alongside the connective-tissue signs above — fatigue alone is rarely the first clue.

Who actually runs low

Because vitamin C is abundant in common produce, most omnivorous diets cover it without effort. Risk concentrates in a few specific situations:

You eat little to no fresh produce

Diets heavy in processed or shelf-stable food, or very restrictive eating patterns, are the single biggest risk factor.

You smoke

Smoking raises oxidative stress and burns through vitamin C faster — the recommended intake is set 35 mg higher for smokers.

You drink heavily

Regular alcohol use is strongly linked to poor overall diet quality and reduced vitamin C intake specifically.

You have a malabsorption condition

Crohn's disease, certain cancers, and dialysis all increase requirements or reduce absorption.

What our test does that a checklist can't

There's no routine blood test for vitamin C the way there is for iron or B12 — it's rarely ordered outside of suspected scurvy. That makes symptom-and-diet pattern matching more useful here than for most nutrients: our free assessment weighs your fruit and vegetable intake against your specific symptoms, and checks whether something else — like iron deficiency, which also causes fatigue and can worsen when vitamin C is low (it helps you absorb iron) — is a better fit.

If you are low

The fix is usually fast and cheap: citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kiwi are all excellent sources, and symptoms typically start improving within days of consistent intake. Adults need 90 mg/day (men) or 75 mg/day (women), with an extra 35 mg for smokers — easily covered by one bell pepper or a cup of strawberries. Remember that boiling destroys much of it; eating produce raw or lightly steamed preserves more.

Medical disclaimer: This page and our assessment are educational tools, not medical advice or diagnosis. Persistent bleeding, joint swelling, or wounds that won't heal deserve a doctor's visit regardless of what any online tool suggests.

Frequently asked questions

Yes — rare, but not extinct. Cases still occur in people with very restricted diets: food insecurity, alcohol use disorder, extremely selective eating, and older adults living alone who eat little fresh produce. Full scurvy takes weeks to months of near-zero intake, but milder deficiency is more common than the word "scurvy" suggests.

Smoking raises oxidative stress in the body, which uses up vitamin C faster. That's why the NIH sets the requirement 35 mg/day higher for smokers than non-smokers.

Substantially. Vitamin C is water-soluble and breaks down with heat, so boiling vegetables can cut their content by half or more. Steaming, microwaving, or eating produce raw preserves much more of it.

No — gum disease from oral hygiene is far more common. But if your gums bleed easily despite decent brushing, alongside easy bruising or slow healing, vitamin C intake is worth checking alongside a dental visit.

Find out in 2 minutes

Free vitamin C risk check — no email, no payment, no blood draw.