VITAMIN C

Vitamin C is an antioxidant because it prevents oxidation reactions by radicals. We have seen that vitamin C traps radicals formed in aqueous environments. Not all the physiological functions of vitamin C are known. What is known, though, is that vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen, which is the structural protein of skin , tendons, connective tissue, and bone. If vitamin C is not present in the diet ( it is abundant in citrus fruits and tomatoes ), lesions appear on the skin , severe bleeding occurs about the gums , in the joints, and under the skin , and wounds heal slowly. The disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C is known as scurvy. British sailors who shipped out to sea after the late 1700s were required to eat limes to prevent scurvy. This is how they came to be called "limeys" . Scurvy was the first disease to be treated by adjusting the diet. Scorbutus is Latin for "scurvy" ; ascorbic, therefore, means"no scurvy".