Vitamin C: Daily Needs, Food Sources, Deficiency (Scurvy) and Safe Limits

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin found in many fruits and vegetables. Your body cannot make it, so you need to get it from food or supplements. This guide covers how much vitamin C you need, the best food sources, deficiency signs, who is at risk and what the safe upper limit is, based on the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements consumer fact sheet.

How Much Vitamin C Do You Need Each Day?

The NIH lists these average daily amounts:

• Children 1 to 3 years: 15 mg
• Children 4 to 8 years: 25 mg
• Children 9 to 13 years: 45 mg
• Teen boys 14 to 18 years: 75 mg; teen girls 14 to 18 years: 65 mg
• Adult men: 90 mg; adult women: 75 mg
• Pregnant women: 85 mg (80 mg for pregnant teens)
• Breastfeeding women: 120 mg (115 mg for breastfeeding teens)
• People who smoke need 35 mg more per day than nonsmokers

Best Food Sources of Vitamin C

Storage and cooking can reduce the vitamin C in food. The NIH notes that steaming or microwaving may lessen cooking losses. Eating some raw fruits and vegetables is a simple way to keep your intake up. Vitamin C also helps your body absorb the iron from plant foods, which is covered in our iron deficiency guide.

• Citrus fruits and juices, red and green peppers and kiwifruit, which have a lot of vitamin C
• Broccoli, strawberries, cantaloupe, baked potatoes and tomatoes
• Fortified foods and drinks

Vitamin C Deficiency and Scurvy

Deficiency is rare in the United States and Canada. People who get little or no vitamin C, below about 10 mg a day, for many weeks can develop scurvy. Signs include fatigue, inflamed or bleeding gums, small red or purple spots on the skin, joint pain, poor wound healing and corkscrew-shaped hairs. Other signs include depression, loosening or loss of teeth and anemia. Scurvy is fatal if it is not treated, so see a doctor if you notice these signs.

Who Is More Likely to Get Too Little?

• People who smoke and those exposed to secondhand smoke
• Infants fed evaporated or boiled cow milk (cow milk is not recommended under 1 year of age)
• People who eat a very limited variety of foods
• People with severe malabsorption, some types of cancer, or kidney disease needing hemodialysis

Vitamin C Supplements and the Upper Limit

Supplements are usually ascorbic acid, and the NIH says research has not shown any one form to be better than the others. The upper limit from food, drinks and supplements together is:

• Children 1 to 3 years: 400 mg
• Children 4 to 8 years: 650 mg
• Children 9 to 13 years: 1,200 mg
• Teens 14 to 18 years: 1,800 mg
• Adults: 2,000 mg

Too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps. In people with hemochromatosis, high doses could worsen iron overload.

Interactions and Cautions

• Vitamin C supplements may interact with chemotherapy and radiation. People in cancer treatment should check with their care team before taking high doses.
• Vitamin C taken with other antioxidants such as vitamin E, selenium and beta-carotene reduced the heart-protective effect of a statin plus niacin in one study, so talk to your doctor if you take a statin.

When to See a Doctor

• You have bleeding gums, easy bruising or poor wound healing
• You eat a very limited diet or have a digestive condition
• You smoke and are thinking about supplements
• You are in cancer treatment or have hemochromatosis

Frequently Asked Questions

Related reading: Iron Deficiency guide | Vitamin B12 deficiency guide | Zinc daily needs and safe limits

Sources

• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin C fact sheet for consumers
• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron fact sheet for consumers

Medical disclaimer: this article is for general information and does not replace advice from a qualified doctor. Do not start, stop or change any supplement or medicine without medical advice.