Common Sense Health: It’s mind-boggling that scurvy is back

By Dr. Gifford-Jones and Diana Gifford-Jones on October 25, 2024.

Scurvy is a terrible disease that has been eradicated, right? The disease is caused by a deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), found in oranges and other fruits and vegetables. But that simple fact was unknown between 1500 and 1747 when it’s estimated two million European sailors died while exploring the oceans. On long voyages, it was accepted that half of the crew would never return. It was a slow, painful death. But James Lind of the British Royal Navy is credited with conducting the first controlled clinical trial recorded in medical science. He compared how sailors fared when given a variety of different remedies, including oranges and lemons.

Shockingly, in 2024, scurvy is back in the news. How could this be?

A report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal details the case of a 65-year-old woman diagnosed with scurvy at the Toronto General Hospital in 2023. Her diet consisted of canned soup, canned tuna, white bread and processed cheese, and no fresh product.

Dr. Sally Engelhart, an author of the report and specialist in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, says it’s not the first case she has seen, particularly among the poor and elderly.

Although scurvy is understood as a disease of the past, we now need to return it to consideration when patients and doctors are thinking about symptoms.

What are the symptoms? After 8 to 12 weeks of vitamin C deficiency, you will notice fatigue, see bruising occurring more easily, and gums will bleed on brushing the teeth. Bones will ache and hair follicles will become bright red.

If you miss all these symptoms and fail to see your doctor, you are in trouble. Continued deficiency results in spontaneous internal bleeding, destruction of red blood cells, and finally death.

Here’s the ridiculous part and misleading facts. The U.S. Food and Nutrition Board has set the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin C at 45 milligrams (mg) a day. Health Canada recommends 15-90 mg depending on age and gender – as if such miniscule variations are consequential! In fact, for good health, people should be getting much more. Only 45 mg will prevent scurvy, but for cardiovascular health, immune system strength, and many other benefits, much higher intake is essential. Aging makes it harder for the body to function, a reality that can be mitigated with high doses of vitamin C, a nutrient that fuels cells throughout the body.

Get rid of the thought that scurvy is a disease that only killed sailors long ago. Scurvy is still rare, but the data in North America show rates are on the rise. Why? Because people are falling victim to utterly abysmal nutrition. You don’t need an economics degree to know that people with low incomes often skip meals or eat poor quality food. But people who can and should make better choices are placing food on the table that is so unhealthy it lacks even the small amount of vitamin C needed to prevent deficiency.

For the information of recent readers, I had a heart attack 27 years ago at the age of 74 and refused cholesterol-lowering drugs due to their many complications. Rather, I followed the advice of Dr. Linus Pauling and have taken at least 6,000 mg of C together with lysine every day since then. I believe it’s saved my life. Smaller amounts – 2,000 or 4,000 mg (but not 45 mg) – of vitamin C daily will always be beneficial for heart health, all organs of the body, and increased immunity. You won’t be worried about scurvy, but about living past 100!

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