September 15, 2025, 9:20 am | Read time: 6 minutes
Vitamin C is considered a miracle weapon against colds. Unlike most animals, the human body cannot produce vitamin C on its own and can only store it in small amounts due to its water solubility. Therefore, we must ensure our bodies receive enough vitamin C through a balanced diet. Certain fruits and vegetables are particularly suitable for this. Learn more about the signs that may indicate a vitamin C deficiency below.
Why Is Vitamin C Also Called Ascorbic Acid?
The isolation of vitamin C from bell peppers was first achieved in 1932. The goal was to find a remedy for scurvy: a disease caused by severe vitamin C deficiency. The term “ascorbic” comes from Latin and means “without scurvy.” Scurvy, also known as mouth rot or sailor’s disease, is a severe form of vitamin C deficiency. More on this later.
Why Does the Body Need Vitamin C?
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), like vitamin A, initially has a stabilizing and strengthening effect on the body’s immune system. This is why it is considered a miracle cure for colds. Additionally, the micronutrient promotes the absorption of iron from plant-based foods, which the body needs, among other things, to transport oxygen. Ascorbic acid also captures free radicals in the body, contributes to normal collagen formation, and thus strengthens blood vessels, teeth, and connective tissue. It is said to be effective in combating cellulite and strengthening the nervous system.
What Is the Daily Requirement for Vitamin C?
Vitamin C is essential for the human body. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends a daily intake of 90 to 110 milligrams.1 The individual daily requirement increases from childhood to adulthood. Since it also depends on weight, a slightly higher requirement can be derived for men and overweight individuals. However, training level or stress level in everyday life also play a role in the daily requirement for vitamin C. Smokers need more because they have higher metabolic losses than non-smokers. Pregnant and breastfeeding women also have an increased need. For overweight individuals, there is evidence that increasing vitamin C intake provides protection against infectious diseases, such as COVID-19.
| Age | Vitamin C in Milligrams per Day | |
| female | male | |
| 0 to 4 years | 20 | 20 |
| 4 to 7 years | 30 | 30 |
| 7 to 10 years | 45 | 45 |
| 10 to 13 years | 65 | 65 |
| 13 to 15 years | 85 | 85 |
| 15 to 19 years | 90 | 105 |
| 19 years and older | 95 | 110 |
| Pregnant and breastfeeding women | 105–125 | |
| Smokers | 135 | 155 |
Fruits and Vegetables with High Vitamin C Content
As with all other vitamins, there are foods with ascorbic acid that contain disproportionately high or low amounts of the micronutrient. The following list includes a combination of popular plants with particularly high vitamin C content.
| Food | Vitamin C Content in Milligrams per 100 Grams |
| Rosehip | 1250 |
| Sea buckthorn berry | 450 |
| Nettle | 330 |
| Black currant | 177 |
| Parsley | 159 |
| Wild garlic | 150 |
| Bell pepper | 115 |
| Brussels sprouts | 110 |
| Fennel | 93 |
| Papaya | 80 |
| Cauliflower | 65 |
| Strawberry | 55 |
| Lemon | 53 |
| Kiwi | 45 |
| Orange | 45 |
| Grapefruit | 40 |
| Potato | 17 |
| Banana | 10 |
How Much Bell Pepper, Potatoes, or Strawberries Cover the Daily Vitamin C Requirement
To meet the specified daily requirement for vitamin C, one could, for example, eat a normal-sized deseeded bell pepper (about 90 grams), a small bowl of strawberries (about 200 grams), or a decent portion of potatoes (about seven normal-sized tubers, which is approximately 600 to 630 grams). For bananas, a whole kilogram (equivalent to about nine medium-sized bananas) would be needed to meet the requirement solely with this fruit.
How to Retain as Much Vitamin C as Possible When Preparing Fruits and Vegetables
- Vitamin C is sensitive to heat. Therefore, vegetables should only be gently heated. For example, if you cook broccoli for too long, up to 60 percent of the vitamin can be lost.
- A large portion of the vitamin in fruits and vegetables is in the peel or just beneath it. An unpeeled apple contains (in addition to significantly more vitamin K, calcium, potassium, and fiber) about 15 percent more vitamin C than a peeled apple, as shown by a 2017 analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.2
- The water-soluble vitamin C is particularly well preserved when plants are stored dry.
- Fruits and vegetables from organic farming tend to contain more vitamin C and also have no pesticide residues.
Severe Vitamin C Deficiency Leads to Scurvy
Scurvy is a severe form of vitamin C deficiency. It used to occur frequently in people who, during long sea voyages, subsisted for weeks on water, dried meat, and hardtack (hence the name sailor’s disease). With prolonged deficiency, scurvy can even lead to death. Today, the disease is rare in industrialized countries.
The symptoms of scurvy begin with fatigue, lethargy, and poor wound healing. Muscle wasting, skin inflammation, fever, diarrhea, and severe gum bleeding follow. If left untreated, the disease leads to tooth loss.
Signs of a Low Vitamin C Level in the Blood
A less severe vitamin C deficiency, unlike scurvy, is not uncommon. The symptoms of a low vitamin C level in the blood are the same: fatigue, skin discoloration, weakness, susceptibility to infections, delayed wound healing, and swollen joints. The most well-known symptom is inflamed or bleeding gums.
In addition to gum bleeding, retinal hemorrhages in the eye can also be associated with a low vitamin C level in the blood, as researchers from the University of Washington demonstrated in 2021 through the analysis of clinical studies from six different countries and the health data of 8,210 Americans.3 After the affected individuals consumed more ascorbic acid daily, the symptoms decreased.
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Causes of a Deficiency
In affluent industrialized nations, a true vitamin C deficiency is extremely rare. A deficiency mainly occurs when too little fresh fruit and vegetables are consumed over a long period, such as with a one-sided or unbalanced diet. However, other factors also influence the vitamin C level in the body: Smokers, pregnant and breastfeeding women need significantly more vitamin C. The same applies to people taking certain medications. These include hormonal contraceptives, drugs with the active ingredient acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), and so-called sulfonamides, which are used as antibiotics or to treat diabetes.
Additionally, older people and diabetics are advised to pay particular attention to adequate vitamin C intake to prevent a deficiency.4
Can You Overdose on Vitamin C?
The so-called hypervitaminosis, or vitamin excess, is excluded for vitamin C because it is broken down by the kidneys and excreted in the urine. However, from five grams of vitamin C per day, diarrhea can occur. To consume this amount, an adult would have to eat about 53 kilograms of broccoli, 31.5 kilograms of parsley, or a whopping 294 kilograms of potatoes in one day.
Such amounts can only occur with incorrect dosing of dietary supplements. It is nearly impossible through daily food intake alone.