Nutrient deficiencyOne of 30 articles on the topicAll vitamins at a glance

Vitamin C deficiency: symptoms, causes and treatment

Constantly tired, bleeding gums, bruises for no reason? If vitamin C is missing for months, it turns into scurvy, and that still exists today. Find out which symptoms really belong to it, which blood value counts and where vitamin C is found.

Vitamin-C-reiche Lebensmittel auf hellem Travertin: rote und gelbe Paprika, Brokkoli, Kiwi, Orange, Zitrone, schwarze Johannisbeeren, Erdbeeren, Rosenkohl, Petersilie, Hagebutten und Kartoffeln
CVitamin C
Vitamin C sources at a glance: peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and parsley provide more than citrus fruit; kiwi, blackcurrants and strawberries lead among fruit.

The key points in 30 seconds

Daily requirement
95–110mg

DGE recommendation: women 95, men 110 milligrams a day. If you smoke, you need 135 and 155 mg respectively, because your body uses up vitamin C faster.

Reserves last
2 months

The body stores around 1,500 mg and breaks down about 3% of it each day. Scurvy only begins when less than 300 mg is left.

First symptom after
12 weeks

That's how long it took in the classic self-experiment without vitamin C before the first tiredness appeared. Skin signs followed after 19 weeks, bleeding after 23.

Your daily requirement is in
½ pepper

Half a red pepper (80 g) provides 102 mg of vitamin C, more than a woman's daily requirement. Half a lemon gives you 32 mg.

01 Spot it

Vitamin C deficiency symptoms: how to spot them

Vitamin C keeps collagen stable, the protein in blood vessel walls, skin and gums. Even so, a deficiency develops over months, because the body stores around 1,500 mg. It starts with tiredness, irritability and joint pain; only after months does scurvy follow: bleeding gums, bleeding under the skin on the legs, rough skin, corkscrew hairs. In Germany it's rare, but it's real if you smoke, eat a very one-sided diet or have absorption disorders. The checklist sorts out what belongs.

Interactive

Which signs do you recognise in yourself?

Tap what applies to you. You'll then see how many typical signs and risks add up.

First signs: tiredness, weakness, joint pain

The earliest symptom is exhaustion, not a skin problem. In the depletion study by the US National Institutes of Health, in which seven men lived for months on under 5 mg of vitamin C a day, six reported tiredness or irritability at the low point; with 30 to 60 mg, both were gone within a week. The Harvard surgeon John Crandon felt the first tiredness in a self-experiment in 1939 after twelve weeks. Added to this are weight loss and muscle and joint pain, in children to the point of refusing to walk. None of this is specific: the same complaints fit iron deficiency or lack of sleep; it's your dietary history that gives vitamin C deficiency away.

What happens when you don't get enough vitamin C: the timeline from the classic studies

  1. Weeks 0 to 5 The store empties

    Your body holds around 1,500 mg of vitamin C and breaks down roughly 3% of it every day. After 35 to 40 days without any intake, nothing is measurable in the blood any more, but you still have no symptoms.

  2. Weeks 8 to 13 Tiredness, irritability, first skin signs

    Crandon felt the first exhaustion after 12 weeks. In the Iowa study, rough bumps appeared at the hair roots on the upper arms after 8 to 13 weeks. The body pool is down to about 300 mg.

  3. Weeks 13 to 27 Gums, bleeding, joints

    In Iowa, gum changes appeared between week 5 and week 27, and Crandon's leg bleeding in week 23. Add joint pain, bruises for no reason and corkscrew hairs. This is now called scurvy.

  4. After that Full-blown scurvy

    Wounds stop healing, anaemia, fluid retention, teeth loosen. Left untreated, scurvy is fatal. With treatment, symptoms improve within days and disappear within one to two weeks (chapter 5).

Vitamin C deficiency symptoms and your mind: tiredness, mood, irritability

Tiredness and irritability are documented; depression caused by vitamin C deficiency is not. The brain needs vitamin C to turn dopamine into the messenger noradrenaline, which controls alertness and drive. That's why these signs show up before the physical ones in every depletion study. A 2020 systematic review found higher depression scores at low levels, and case series in which depression in scurvy disappeared after vitamin C. What's missing is a controlled trial showing that vitamin C improves depression, so mood is listed as possible in the table.

Vitamin C deficiency symptoms for skin and hair: bleeding, bumps, corkscrew hairs

Your skin shows the deficiency in a fixed order. First comes follicular hyperkeratosis: hard bumps at the hair roots, first on the upper arms, then on the thighs and buttocks, and the skin turns rough like a grater. Then comes bleeding around the hair roots, mostly on the lower legs, which turns into petechiae and bruises for no reason. Third, wounds stop healing and old scars can reopen. Hair doesn't fall out; it grows back twisted and brittle: corkscrew hairs. Diffuse hair loss points to iron or zinc, and “dry skin” is too unspecific.

Fine red dots on the lower leg: bleeding around the hair roots is the most typical skin sign of vitamin C deficiency
Pinpoint bleeding on the lower legs and rough bumps on the upper arms: that's the skin picture that fits vitamin C deficiency. It comes after months, not days.

Vitamin C deficiency symptoms in women

There are no female-specific symptoms, either in the MSD Manual or in the dermatology references. What differs are the reference values: women need 95 mg a day, men 110, pregnant women from the fourth month 105, breastfeeding women 125, and women who smoke 135 mg. There's also an indirect link via iron: women before the menopause are far more often affected by iron deficiency, and vitamin C in the same meal improves the absorption of plant-based iron (chapter 6). Hair loss, weight gain or menopause symptoms as signs of vitamin C deficiency: there's no study for that.

Symptom check

What really fits vitamin C deficiency

The twelve complaints people search for most, and what the studies say about them: documented (reference work or depletion study), possible (observation or mechanism), unsupported (no primary source).

What the studies sayRating
Tiredness, irritabilityEarliest sign in all depletion studies, 6 of 7 participants at the US institutesDocumented
Swollen, bleeding gumsCore symptom of scurvy in the MSD Manual and DermNet, with loose teeth after a long deficiencyDocumented
Pinpoint bleeding, bruisesBleeding around the hair roots, petechiae and purpura on the legsDocumented
Rough skin, corkscrew hairsFollicular hyperkeratosis and twisted, brittle hairs, first on arms and legsDocumented
Joint, muscle and leg painEarly symptom according to the MSD; in the 2018 Kakuma outbreak, 58% had swollen legsDocumented
Poor wound healingCrandon's wound at month 6 formed no connective tissue; old scars can reopenDocumented
Low moodCross-sectional data and small studies in the 2020 review, no controlled study with vitamin C as a treatmentPossible
AnaemiaCommon in scurvy, explained via bleeding and iron and folate absorption, not tested in a single studyPossible
EyesBleeding into the conjunctiva in severe scurvy (MSD); vision problems not describedPossible
Smooth, burning tongueNo primary source; a smooth red tongue is typical of B12 and iron deficiencyUnsupported
Weight gain, belly fatNo study; according to the MSD, scurvy tends to come with weight lossUnsupported
Sweating, hair lossNo primary source; diffuse hair loss fits iron and zinc, not vitamin CUnsupported

Rated according to the sources in chapter 8 (MSD Manual, DermNet, Altmeyers, Levine 1996, Plevin and Galletly 2020, CDC 2019, case report 2026). As of 24 September 2026.

Scurvy: symptoms of the most severe form

Scurvy is the diagnosis for a pronounced deficiency and develops after one to three months without enough intake. The gums are its key organ, because no tissue renews its collagen as quickly: they swell, turn purple and spongy, bleed when touched, and the teeth loosen. Added to that are spontaneous bleeds on the lower legs, in the conjunctiva and in the joints, weeping wounds, water retention and anaemia. Toddlers refuse to walk (pseudoparalysis). Left untreated, scurvy is fatal; with treatment, the findings are back to normal after one to two weeks. Frequent bleeding gums are usually caused by gum inflammation.

When to see a doctor

Bleeding gums together with bleeding under the skin on your legs, tiredness and joint pain: see your GP soon and ask for a vitamin C test. Go straight away if a child suddenly refuses to walk, if there's blood in the stool or if you have large bruises.

02 Causes

Vitamin C deficiency causes: who is really at risk

A deficiency develops in four ways: too little in your food, meaning hardly any fruit, vegetables and potatoes for weeks; higher needs from smoking, fever, inflammation and operations; losses during dialysis; and impaired absorption after bowel surgery and with chronic bowel diseases. Your store of around 1,500 mg lasts about two months with zero intake. First your own needs, then the groups where things get tight.

Interactive

How much vitamin C do you need per day?

Choose who you are and whether you smoke. The figure is the DGE's recommended intake, which already includes the smoker's supplement.

Who
Smoking
95mg per day

Woman, Non-smoker: Women aged 19 and over. 95 mg is in half a red pepper or two kiwis. EFSA gives the same value.

Not enough fruit and veg: children, care homes, poverty

Germany is well supplied on average: in the National Consumption Study II, adults took in a median of around 130 mg a day, yet 32% of men and 29% of women still didn't reach the reference value of 100 mg that applied at the time. In care homes, intake in the ErnSTES study was around 50% below the reference value; the risk factor is needing care, not age. Among children, the scurvy rate in US hospitals tripled from 2016 to 2020, and in 64% of the children an autism spectrum disorder with a very narrow choice of foods was documented.

Smoking and passive smoking: 40% higher consumption

Smoking is the only lifestyle factor with its own reference value: 155 mg for men, 135 mg for women, 40 mg more in each case. The oxidative stress from tobacco smoke uses up vitamin C, so turnover is around 40% higher. In the US population study, smokers' blood levels were on average 15 µmol/l lower than non-smokers'. Passive smoking is considered another factor, but with no figure of its own. The supplement only makes up for the extra consumption: vitamin C doesn't protect against lung cancer or vascular damage, and the honest answer to “Which vitamins should smokers take?” is “none, just quit”.

Alcohol, illnesses, dialysis, bowel surgery

Alcohol works in two ways: people who drink a lot usually eat little fresh food, and the liver is under oxidative stress. One case report describes a 56-year-old whose scurvy was mistaken for inflammation of the blood vessels in intensive care. Dialysis washes vitamin C out of the blood, with values below 10 µmol/l reported, while high doses are risky in kidney weakness because of the oxalate. Absorption disorders occur after gastric bypass, and with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and short bowel syndrome. Increased requirements arise with fever, chronic inflammation, major surgery, burns and chemotherapy; eating disorders have also been described. For diabetes as an independent cause, our research found no reliable source.

03 Understand

How vitamin C works in the body

Three stages from plate to blood vessel wall. Once you know them, you'll understand why your reserves last two months, why smoking uses up more, and why above a certain amount everything ends up in your urine.

1

Absorption in the small intestine

Vitamin C is found almost only in plants: peppers, cabbage, potatoes, berries, citrus fruit. Meat, milk, eggs and grains provide practically none. In the small intestine, a transporter carries the vitamin into the blood, and its capacity is limited: from 200 mg almost everything gets through, but from about 400 mg a day the blood is saturated and the kidneys excrete the rest within hours. Vitamin C is water-soluble and sensitive to heat, oxygen and light; when you cook, part of it ends up in the water.

2

Storage and use

With a good supply, the body holds around 1,500 mg of vitamin C, most densely in the adrenal glands, the brain and the white blood cells, which contain 14 times as much as blood plasma. About 3% is used up each day. That's why your reserves last around two months with zero intake, and scurvy begins when less than 300 mg is left. Smoking increases turnover by around 40%, and so do fever, inflammation and operations; dialysis washes it straight out of the blood.

3

Effects: collagen, neurotransmitters, iron

Vitamin C is a cofactor for the enzymes that cross-link collagen; without it the triple helix stays unstable, and blood vessel walls, gums, skin and wound tissue lose their hold. In the brain it helps make noradrenaline from dopamine, and in the muscles it helps make carnitine for energy production. It keeps iron from plants in the form your gut can absorb, and as an antioxidant it neutralises free radicals. When it's missing, things go wrong everywhere at once, showing first where collagen is renewed fastest: the gums.

04 Diagnosis

Diagnosing vitamin C deficiency: blood level and tests

One single value shows whether you're lacking vitamin C: ascorbic acid in blood plasma in µmol/l (1 mg/l equals 5.7 µmol/l). Below 11 µmol/l is deficiency, and a value of around 50 µmol/l counts as well supplied, which is also what EFSA bases its reference values on. It's rarely measured, because in people who eat normally the value is almost always fine, and the sample is delicate.

Vitamin C in the blood: the lab value and its pitfalls

The value is easy to measure, but hard to measure correctly. Vitamin C oxidises as soon as it leaves the body: in whole blood it's stable for only about 30 minutes, which is why labs require heparin plasma that is centrifuged immediately, frozen and transported protected from light. What this means for you: come fasted, take no supplements in the days before, and say so if you've just eaten a lot of fruit, because the value reflects the last few days. If there are signs of bleeding, in children with a narrow choice of foods, or after bowel surgery, the test is covered by health insurance; without a reason, you pay for it yourself.

Blood sample wrapped in aluminium foil in a cool box: vitamin C breaks down quickly in the tube, so the sample must be chilled and protected from light on its way to the lab
Protected from light, chilled, straight to the lab: vitamin C oxidises in the tube within hours. A badly handled sample shows a deficiency that isn't really there.

Vitamin C deficiency test: self-test, home test, urine strips

None of the self-tests on offer measures a deficiency. Manufacturers' online self-tests are questionnaires that add up tiredness and colds and end with a recommendation to buy a supplement. Urine test strips show whether the kidney is excreting vitamin C, and it only does that once the blood is saturated, from about 400 mg a day; a negative strip means “not overflowing”, not “deficient”. Home blood tests using a finger prick fail because, after a few hours, the vitamin C in the drop is no longer what it was when it was taken. The most honest self-test: two portions of fruit or veg a day, and don't smoke.

Before the test

No vitamin C supplements or effervescent tablets for three days beforehand, otherwise the lab measures the tablet. Come fasted, and mention smoking and lots of fruit. If there's bleeding into the skin, ask for a blood count too: too few platelets cause the same spots on the skin.

What doctors also check: scurvy looks like inflamed blood vessels

The most common mistake is that nobody thinks of scurvy. A case report from 2026: a 45-year-old woman comes in with leg pain, swelling and a pinpoint rash on both lower legs that has lasted five months. The doctors suspect vasculitis and give cortisone, but nothing helps. Only the dietary history brings the turning point: three years of almost nothing but iced coffee, and a vitamin C value below 3 µmol/l. The difference lies in the tissue: in inflamed blood vessels, immune cells attack the wall, while in scurvy the wall is simply fragile, and blood seeps out without inflammation, with normal clotting values.

05 Treatment

Fixing a vitamin C deficiency: what helps and how fast

A confirmed vitamin C deficiency is one of the most rewarding diagnoses: the remedy is cheap, easy to take, and you'll feel better within days. Treatment works on two levels: topping up vitamin C, through food for a mild deficiency or with a supplement at a doctor-prescribed dose for scurvy, and fixing the cause, otherwise the deficiency is back within months.

With diet: the standard route when stores are low

If you're between 11 and 50 µmol/l or haven't eaten much fruit and veg for weeks, you don't need a prescription, just two portions a day. According to a dermatology reference work, as little as 25 to 30 mg a day prevents the skin changes, at 100 mg the white blood cells are saturated, and at 200 mg the blood is almost at its maximum: half a red pepper, two kiwis, or a glass of fresh orange juice with a portion of broccoli. Two things matter more than the type: regularity, because levels drop after two or three days without fruit, and gentle preparation (Chapter 6).

From requirement to infusion: vitamin C in numbers

  1. 1 Requirement95–110 mg

    DGE recommendation for adults who smoke: 135 and 155 mg respectively. Half a pepper or two kiwis cover that; one bottle of drinkable meal provides 24 mg, which is 30% of the reference amount.

  2. 2 Saturation200–400 mg

    From around 200 mg a day your blood is almost saturated, and from 400 mg completely; anything above that goes into the urine. For food supplements, the BfR suggests a maximum of 250 mg per daily dose.

  3. 3 Upper limit1,000–2,000 mg

    Up to 1 g extra is symptom-free according to EFSA; from 2 g, US authorities report diarrhoea and cramps. From 1 g as a supplement, the risk of kidney stones doubled in men, but not in women.

  4. 4 InfusionGram range

    In sepsis, the largest trial infused 200 mg per kilogram a day, with no benefit. Case reports describe kidney failure caused by oxalate. For scurvy, oral doses are enough.

DGE reference values (D-A-CH 2015), Levine 1996, BfR maximum level proposals (2021, confirmed 2024), EFSA/SCF 2004, IOM 2000, Thomas 2013, Ferraro 2016, LOVIT 2022.

Fixing a vitamin C deficiency with supplements: dose, duration, when to see a doctor

For scurvy you need a supplement and a medical diagnosis. The reference works are in the same range: the MSD Manual gives 500 to 1,000 mg a day for one to two weeks, Doctors Without Borders 250 mg three times a day. The dose is split, because your gut only absorbs about 100 to 200 mg per single dose. The skin signs improve in 24 to 72 hours, tiredness in three to five days, and after one to two weeks the findings are normal; hair, scars and, in children, bones take weeks to months.

With vitamin C, the order is almost always the same: plate first, then blood level, then supplement. If you eat half a pepper a day, you don't need a capsule. And if you really do have a deficiency, you'll feel better within days. A few hundred milligrams do it, not a gram.

Joerg Hauke, Nutrition expert, expert review of this article

Vitamin C overdose and infusion: how much is too much?

Impossible through food; the question only comes up with supplements. EFSA considers 1,000 mg extra a day free of gastrointestinal complaints, and the BfR derives from this its maximum of 250 mg for food supplements. US authorities set the limit at 2,000 mg, above which diarrhoea and cramps become common. The more serious risk is kidney stones: in a Swedish cohort of 23,000 men, supplements doubled the risk, while no link was found in women. Scurvy doesn't need infusions, and the largest sepsis trial found more deaths under high-dose vitamin C than under placebo.

06 Nutrition

Vitamin C foods: where you'll find the most

Vitamin C is found only in plants: meat, fish, milk, cheese and eggs provide zero milligrams, with the exception of offal. That's why the bars show fruit versus vegetables, each with the ten strongest everyday foods per 100 g. Two surprises up front: the lemon isn't at the top, and the potato, according to the consumption survey, is one of the most important everyday sources, because of the amount we eat, not the content.

Vitamin C per 100 g: top 10 fruit and top 10 vegetables

  1. Blackcurrant: 181 mg
  2. Kiwi: 93 mg
  3. Strawberry: 59 mg
  4. Orange: 53 mg
  5. Lemon (without peel): 53 mg
  6. Pineapple: 48 mg
  7. Redcurrant: 41 mg
  8. Grapefruit: 38 mg
  9. Cantaloupe melon: 37 mg
  10. Mango: 36 mg

Values per 100 g raw, USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy 2018. In portions: one kiwi 70 mg, a bowl of strawberries 88 mg, one orange 69 mg, half a lemon 32 mg. Not in the chart: exotics like guava (228 mg) and super sources like acerola, rosehip and sea buckthorn (450 to 1,678 mg, almost only as juice or powder).

Vitamin C in fruit: kiwi and berries beat the lemon

Lemon and orange both come in at 53 mg per 100 g, and nobody eats a whole lemon. A kiwi brings almost double with 93 mg, 100 g of blackcurrants with 181 mg more than your daily requirement, and even strawberries (59 mg) beat the lemon. Are bananas rich in vitamin C? No: 8.7 mg per 100 g, and an apple has 4.6. The real “vitamin C bombs” acerola, rosehip and sea buckthorn provide 450 to over 1,600 mg, but are eaten almost only as juice, purée or powder.

Vitamin C in vegetables: peppers, cabbage and what cooking costs

Vegetables are the stronger source: yellow pepper 184 mg, red 128, green 80 mg per 100 g. Behind them comes the cabbage family with 60 to 65 mg even after cooking; the potato gives only 26 mg per 200 g, but on days without fresh food. The biggest loss when cooking is leaching: boiled in lots of water, vegetables keep 55% of their vitamin C, steamed 75 to 85%, and kale drops from 93 to 18 mg. So steam instead of boil, put the cooking water into the soup, keep potatoes in their skins; frozen vegetables are no worse than fresh.

Interactive

How much vitamin C is in …?

Values in mg per 100 g, fruit and peppers raw, cabbage and potatoes cooked. The traffic light shows: 40 mg and up is high, 10 to 39 is medium, below that is low.

  • Pepper, yellow 18480 g = 146.8 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Chilli pepper, red 14415 g = 21.6 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Pepper, red 12880 g = 102.2 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Pepper, green 80.480 g = 64.3 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Garlic 31.23 g = 0.9 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Okra 2380 g = 18.4 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Parsnip 17100 g = 17 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Radish 14.850 g = 7.4 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Peas green 14.280 g = 11.4 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Tomato 13.7120 g = 16.4 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Courgette 12.9100 g = 12.9 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Leek 12100 g = 12 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Fennel bulb 12100 g = 12 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Green beans 9.7100 g = 9.7 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Celeriac 8100 g = 8 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Asparagus 7.7150 g = 11.6 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Onion 7.450 g = 3.7 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Carrot 5.980 g = 4.7 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Sweetcorn 5.580 g = 4.4 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Beetroot 3.6100 g = 3.6 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Celery stalk 3.140 g = 1.2 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Cucumber 2.8100 g = 2.8 mg, raw, with skin (USDA)
  • Aubergine 2.2100 g = 2.2 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Kale, raw 93.475 g = 70.1 mg, raw, e.g. in a salad or smoothie (USDA)
  • Broccoli 64.9100 g = 64.9 mg, cooked, drained (USDA)
  • Brussels sprouts 62100 g = 62 mg, cooked, drained (USDA)
  • Kohlrabi 62100 g = 62 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Red cabbage 5780 g = 45.6 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Chinese cabbage pak choi 45100 g = 45 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Cauliflower 44.3100 g = 44.3 mg, cooked, drained (USDA)
  • White cabbage 36.680 g = 29.3 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Kale, cooked 18150 g = 27 mg, cooked, drained; raw 93 mg, kale loses an especially large amount when cooked (USDA)
  • Sauerkraut 14.7100 g = 14.7 mg, tinned, drained (USDA)
  • Parsley, fresh 1334 g = 5.3 mg, raw, chopped (USDA)
  • Watercress 4315 g = 6.5 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Lamb's lettuce 3550 g = 17.5 mg, raw (BLS 4.0)
  • New Zealand spinach 3075 g = 22.5 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Spinach 28.175 g = 21.1 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Chicory leaf variety 2480 g = 19.2 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Rocket 1520 g = 3 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Spinach, cooked 9.8150 g = 15 mg, cooked, drained; raw 28 mg (USDA)
  • Radicchio 850 g = 4 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Endive 6.580 g = 5.2 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Iceberg lettuce 2.850 g = 1.4 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Cantaloupe melon 36.7150 g = 55.1 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Honeydew melon 18150 g = 27 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Pomegranate 10.2100 g = 10.2 mg, raw, seeds (USDA)
  • Apricot 10120 g = 12 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Sour cherry 10100 g = 10 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Plum 9.5100 g = 9.5 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Banana 8.7120 g = 10.4 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Watermelon 8.1200 g = 16.2 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Rhubarb 8100 g = 8 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Persimmon 7.5100 g = 7.5 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Cherry, sweet 7100 g = 7 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Peach 6.6150 g = 9.9 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Nectarine 5.4150 g = 8.1 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Apple 4.6150 g = 6.9 mg, raw, with skin (USDA)
  • Pear 4.3150 g = 6.5 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Grapes 3.2100 g = 3.2 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Fig 280 g = 1.6 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Sea buckthorn berry 45020 g = 90 mg, raw (mostly as juice/purée) (BLS 4.0)
  • Blackcurrant 181100 g = 181 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Strawberry 58.8150 g = 88.2 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Red/white currant 41100 g = 41 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Elderberry only eat cooked 36Raw value 36 mg per 100 g, some is lost when cooking; mildly toxic raw (USDA)
  • Gooseberry 27.7100 g = 27.7 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Raspberry 26.2125 g = 32.8 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Blackberry 21125 g = 26.3 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Cranberry 1450 g = 7 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Blueberry 9.7125 g = 12.1 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Orange 53.2130 g = 69.2 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Lemon 5360 g = 31.8 mg, raw, without peel (USDA)
  • Grapefruit 38.1200 g = 76.2 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Lime 29.150 g = 14.6 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Mandarin clementine 26.780 g = 21.4 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Acerola 1,67850 g = 838.8 mg, raw (exotic, hard to find fresh in Germany) (USDA)
  • Rose hip 1,04520 g = 209 mg, raw (not eaten like this, see block 4) (BLS 4.0)
  • Guava 228100 g = 228.3 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Kiwi 92.775 g = 69.5 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Lychee 71.5100 g = 71.5 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Papaya 60.9150 g = 91.4 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Pineapple 47.8150 g = 71.7 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Mango 36.4150 g = 54.6 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Passion fruit 3050 g = 15 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Physalis cape gooseberry 1130 g = 3.3 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Avocado 1070 g = 7 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Coconut flesh 3.330 g = 1 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Sweet potato 19.6150 g = 29.4 mg, cooked (baked in skin) (USDA)
  • Potato 13200 g = 26 mg, cooked, in skin (USDA)
  • Soya beans 1.7100 g = 1.7 mg, cooked, with salt (USDA)
  • Lentils 1.5150 g = 2.3 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Chickpeas 1.3150 g = 2 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Acerola juice 1,60030 g = 480 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Sea buckthorn juice 26630 g = 79.8 mg, juice (BLS 4.0)
  • Tomato juice 70.1200 g = 140.2 mg, canned (USDA)
  • Orange juice, freshly squeezed 50200 g = 100 mg, raw, freshly squeezed (USDA)
  • Lemon juice 38.720 g = 7.7 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Grapefruit juice 38200 g = 76 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Orange juice, from concentrate 36.2200 g = 72.4 mg, concentrate, diluted (1+3 water) (USDA)
  • Pineapple juice 10200 g = 20 mg, canned, no added ascorbic acid (USDA)
  • Saturo drinkable meal 400 ml 6.0one bottle = 24 mg = 30% of the reference intake, all flavours; nutrition table
  • Apple juice 0.9200 g = 1.8 mg, unsweetened, no added ascorbic acid (USDA)
  • Grape juice 0.1200 g = 0.2 mg, unsweetened, no added ascorbic acid (USDA)
  • Red pepper, grilled in oil canned 86.950 g = 43.5 mg, canned, drained (BLS 4.0)
  • Wine sauerkraut 19.7100 g = 19.7 mg, raw (BLS 4.0)
  • Potato crisps 13.730 g = 4.1 mg, crisps, various flavours (BLS 4.0)
  • Sauerkraut juice 8100 g = 8 mg, vegetable juice made from sauerkraut (BLS 4.0)
  • Sweet chestnut marron, European 43100 g = 43 mg, raw, peeled (USDA)
  • Sweet chestnut marron, roasted 26100 g = 26 mg, roasted (USDA)
  • Hazelnut 6.330 g = 1.9 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Walnut 1.330 g = 0.4 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Cashew nut 0.530 g = 0.2 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Honey 0.520 g = 0.1 mg, – (USDA)
  • Peanut 030 g = 0 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Wholemeal bread 050 g = 0 mg, baked (USDA)
  • White rice 0150 g = 0 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Pasta 0150 g = 0 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Chicken liver 27.9100 g = 27.9 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Pork liver 23.6100 g = 23.6 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Salmon 3.7120 g = 4.4 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Cod 1120 g = 1.2 mg, cooked (USDA)
  • Pork loin 0.6150 g = 0.9 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Yoghurt, whole milk 0.5150 g = 0.8 mg, plain (USDA)
  • Milk, whole 0200 g = 0 mg, 3.25% fat (USDA)
  • Egg 060 g = 0 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Cheese Cheddar 030 g = 0 mg, – (USDA)
  • Chicken breast 0150 g = 0 mg, raw (USDA)
  • Beef mince 0150 g = 0 mg, raw, 85/15 (USDA)
  • Oyster 0100 g = 0 mg, raw (USDA)

Vitamin C and iron: what the combination really does

A lot in a single meal, little across your whole diet. Vitamin C keeps plant-based iron in the form your gut can absorb; the EU has approved “Vitamin C increases iron absorption” as a health claim. But when twelve people ate between 51 and 247 mg a day for several weeks, their iron absorption didn't change measurably, and in 440 women with iron-deficiency anaemia, 200 mg of vitamin C with their iron tablet added nothing. In practice: peppers with lentils, orange with porridge, and coffee and tea an hour away from meals. More in the iron deficiency article.

Foods rich in vitamin C on light stone: peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, kiwi, orange, blackcurrants, strawberries, parsley, potatoes and sauerkraut
Peppers and cabbage for the bulk, berries and citrus for breakfast, potatoes for days without salad: eat from this selection every day and you'll meet your needs without a table.

Vitamin C in everyday life: drinkable meals

On days without fresh food, it's often exactly that one portion of fruit or veg that's missing. A drinkable meal with defined amounts of nutrients is then a reliable contribution: one bottle of Saturo (400 ml) gives you 24 mg of vitamin C, 30% of the reference amount of 80 mg, the same in every flavour, plus the other 25 vitamins and minerals. That replaces neither the pepper nor the treatment of a deficiency. Authorised claims in the EU: vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of the gums, to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and to the normal function of the immune system.

Ready-to-Drink 6 x 400 ml
From the Saturo range

Drinkable meal: a complete meal in a bottle

26 vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, iron and vitamin D. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of the gums, contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and increases iron absorption. Reference amount for vitamin C: 80 mg per day (NRV).

26Vitamins & minerals
36 gProtein
400kcal
24 mgVitamin C per bottle30% of the reference amount
Choose a flavour
€4,39per meal
Drinkable meal · Cocoa€4,39 per meal ·
07 Special cases

Scurvy today, sailors, colds: what else you should know about vitamin C

No nutrient has a history like vitamin C, and scurvy still exists: in England, hospital cases rose from 61 to 128 in ten years, and in the USA the rate among children has tripled. Four faces keep coming back: the toddler with a narrow choice of foods, the older person in need of care, the person with alcohol dependency, and the person with an eating disorder or extreme diet.

Wooden crate of lemons and oranges on a ship's deck: citrus fruit ended scurvy on Royal Navy ships
Two oranges and a lemon a day: Lind's citrus group was back on their feet after six days. The Navy still took 48 years to make the juice part of the ration.

Scurvy and sailors: medicine's first controlled trial

Between 1500 and 1800, an estimated at least two million sailors died of scurvy. On 20 May 1747, ship's surgeon James Lind began the experiment on HMS Salisbury that is considered the first controlled clinical trial: twelve sick sailors, six pairs, six remedies, including two oranges and a lemon a day. Only the citrus group was fit for duty after six days. Lind published in 1753, the Royal Navy introduced citrus juice in 1795, and scurvy then disappeared from its ships. “Ascorbic acid” literally means “against scurvy”; it wasn't isolated until 1928, and in 1937 there were two Nobel Prizes for it.

Vitamin C in pregnancy and breastfeeding

From the fourth month, pregnant women need 105 mg a day and breastfeeding women 125 mg, because breast milk contains around 5 mg per 100 ml. “Why no vitamin C in pregnancy?” What's meant is high doses: the upper limit of 2,000 mg applies to pregnant women too, and a Cochrane review found no benefit from high-dose supplements against premature birth or pre-eclampsia. The often-cited “rebound scurvy” in newborns rests on a single, unreliable report from the 1960s. Supply only gets tight for babies aged 6 to 12 months who aren't breastfed, so when solid foods begin.

Vitamin C for colds and sport: what the studies show

Vitamin C doesn't prevent colds, but it shortens them a little. A Cochrane review of 11,306 people found that if you take vitamin C regularly, you don't catch fewer colds, but you're ill for less time with each one: adults by 8%, children by 14%. Taking it after the cold has started does nothing. The exception is people under extreme strain: in marathon runners and people working in the cold, it halved the number of colds. In training, be careful with gram doses: a Norwegian study showed that high-dose vitamin C plus E weakened the adaptation to endurance training. Meeting your needs, yes. Gram doses, no.

Liposomal, natural, high-dose: what the ads promise

Three sales pitches, three findings. “Natural vitamin C is better”: 36 men got either half a gold kiwi or a 50 mg chewable tablet for six weeks, and there was no difference. “Liposomal is absorbed better”: nine out of ten studies showed higher blood peaks, but only after single doses, and if you get 200 mg from food, your blood is already saturated. “High doses work better”: for no outcome beyond deficiency is there proof that 1,000 mg does more than 100. What's left has been true since 1747: if you have none, you urgently need it; if you have enough, you don't need more.

08 Look it up

Frequently asked questions about vitamin C deficiency

How do I know if I'm not getting enough vitamin C?

First with tiredness, irritability and joint pain after two to three months without vitamin C. It becomes obvious with gums that swell and bleed, small red dots on the lower legs and corkscrew-shaped hairs. A blood test gives you certainty: below 11 µmol/l is deficiency.

What does skin look like with a vitamin C deficiency?

First it feels rough, with small hard bumps at the hair roots, mostly on the upper arms and thighs. Then red to purple dots appear around the hair roots, especially on the lower legs, and later bruises for no reason. Wounds heal badly, and old scars can reopen. Dry skin on its own is not a sign.

Does scurvy still exist today?

Yes, rarely, but increasingly. In the USA, the rate among children tripled between 2016 and 2020, and two thirds had an autism spectrum disorder; in England, hospital cases rose from 61 to 128 in ten years. Older people in need of care and people with alcohol dependency or eating disorders are affected too.

What did sailors do about scurvy?

For a long time, nothing that worked, which is why at least two million sailors died between 1500 and 1800. In 1747, James Lind showed with twelve sick sailors that oranges and lemons cure scurvy, while vinegar and seawater don't. The Royal Navy introduced citrus juice in 1795; submarines carry lemons for the same reason.

Which has more vitamin C, peppers or oranges? Are bananas rich in vitamin C?

Peppers, by a long way: yellow 184 mg, red 128 mg per 100 g, oranges 53 mg, the same as a lemon. Half a red pepper gives you 102 mg, more than a woman's daily requirement. Bananas aren't a source of vitamin C at 8.7 mg, and an apple has 4.6 mg. Among fruit, blackcurrants and kiwi lead the way.

Is 1,000 mg of vitamin C a day too much?

Most of them won't make you ill, but they won't do you any good either: from 200 to 400 mg the blood is saturated and the rest goes into your urine. From 2,000 mg, diarrhoea and cramps are a risk, and the BfR (German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) recommends a maximum of 250 mg per daily dose. In men, supplements of 1,000 mg or more doubled the risk of kidney stones.

When shouldn't you take vitamin C? Does it harm the kidneys?

Never from food. Avoid high doses if you have kidney stones or weak kidneys, because vitamin C is broken down into oxalate, if you have the iron storage disease haemochromatosis, and before a blood test. From a few hundred milligrams, it can distort urine test strips and, with infusions, blood glucose meters.

Can you take vitamin C and iron together? Why in the evening?

There's no evidence for a particular time of day; what counts is regularity. Vitamin C with plant-based iron in the same meal makes sense: peppers with lentils, oranges with porridge. Alongside an iron tablet, a vitamin C tablet adds nothing. Keep coffee and tea an hour away from iron.

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Gregor Aßlaber
Gregor AßlaberAuthor · Editor, Saturo

Has been writing for Saturo since 2019 about nutrition, nutrients and how to get a good supply of them in everyday life.

Joerg Hauke
Joerg HaukeFachliche Prüfung · Nutrition expert

Hat diesen Artikel am 24. September 2026 auf fachliche Richtigkeit geprüft. This content does not replace medical advice.