Vitamin C - Why Is Vitamin C Important In a Child's Diet?

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin essential for the body, requiring regular intake since it isn’t stored long-term or produced naturally. It is found in fruits, vegetables, and supplements. (1)

What is vitamin C good for? Vitamin C aids wound healing, infection control, and free radical prevention with its antioxidative properties. It also synthesizes collagen, essential for the nervous, immune, bone, cartilage, blood, and hormonal systems. (2)

Vitamin C is abundant in peppers, citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe. Needs vary by age, health, and lifestyle. Deficiency can affect skin, hair, immunity, and iron absorption. Consult a doctor for proper intake. Children's multivitamins often include vitamin C for overall health.

How Does Vitamin C Function in Your Child’s Body?

Vitamin C enhances iron absorption from plant sources and prevents scurvy, which causes fatigue, weakness, and iron deficiency. Adequate intake is essential for both children and adults.

Oxidized vitamin C enters cells via glucose transporters and converts to ascorbic acid. The body regulates its levels, ranging from 300 mg to 2 g. High concentrations are in white blood cells, eyes, adrenal glands, and the brain, while lower levels are in plasma, red blood cells, and saliva. (1)

Why do Children Need Vitamin C?

Children need sufficient nutrients, including vitamin C, for proper growth and health. Without it, essential functions may be compromised. Vitamin C supports children in several key ways.

Below are several benefits of vitamin C for both your child and you:

Prevents chronic diseases
Reduces severity of common cold
Fights against age-related vision problems
Protects memory
Optimizes immunity
Prevents skin aging/wrinkles
Controls uric acid levels
Prevents iron deficiency
Controls blood pressure
Reduces risk of heart diseases

Prevents chronic diseases: American kids face more chronic diseases due to a shift toward junk food. A vitamin C-rich diet with fruits and vegetables helps support disease prevention.

Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, protects against free radicals, reduces oxidative stress, and strengthens the immune system, helping prevent chronic disease. (3)

Vitamin C regulates genetic functions, supports immunity, and helps prevent disease. Deficiency weakens immunity, while illness further depletes vitamin C. Supplementation can aid recovery from infections, making citrus fruits and guava essential in children's diets. (4)

Reduces severity of the common cold: Vitamin C doesn’t prevent colds but can reduce their severity and duration, aiding faster recovery. Some studies suggest multivitamin doses at a cold’s onset may ease symptoms, making vitamin C a helpful remedy for children. (2)

Fights against age-related vision problems: Vitamin C deficiency can lead to cataracts, but a diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps prevent this and macular degeneration, reducing the risk of blurry vision later in life. (2)

Protects memory: Vitamin C deficiency can contribute to academic learning problems and cognitive decline. As an antioxidant, it helps reduce oxidative stress and inflammation around the brain, spine, and nerves. Diets rich in vitamin C support memory and thinking, benefiting children’s cognitive development and providing long-term preventive care. (5)(6)

Optimizes immunity: Vitamin C strengthens the immune system by activating white blood cells and scavenging free radicals. It supports skin as a barrier against infection and aids in wound healing. A deficiency can delay recovery, such as in pneumonia patients. Ensure your child gets enough vitamin C through diet and supplements to help fight infections. (7)(8)

Prevents skin aging and wrinkles: Vitamin C protects skin from aging by reducing wrinkles, dryness, and other signs of degeneration. Dermatologists recommend topical vitamin C for a healthy glow and to combat free radical damage. If your child has dry or dull skin, consult a specialist for advice. (4)(9)

Controls uric acid levels: Vitamin C helps control uric acid levels in the blood, reducing the risk of gout, a painful joint condition. Studies show that vitamin C lowers uric acid and prevents gout attacks, with a 20-year study showing a 44% lower risk in those who took supplements. A 30-day vitamin C supplement also reduced uric acid levels. (10)(11)

Prevents iron deficiency: A diet high in junk food can lead to iron deficiency, but vitamin C helps improve iron absorption. For example, adding lemon to a salad boosts iron intake. Iron is essential for oxygen transport and red blood cell production. A study found that vitamin C improved iron levels in iron-deficient children, regardless of other nutrients. If your child shows signs of iron deficiency, increase their vitamin C intake to reduce symptoms and anemia risk. (12)(13)

Controls blood pressure: Hypertension is a leading cause of death, with one in three Americans affected. Vitamin C helps control blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels, reducing systolic by 4.9 mmHg and diastolic by 1.7 mmHg. Ensure your child gets enough vitamin C to support healthy blood pressure. (14)

What is Vitamin C Deficiency?

A diet with less than 10 mg of vitamin C daily for a month can lead to deficiency. Causes include poor diet, restrictive eating, fad diets, smoking, and drug abuse.

The following list provides deficiency symptoms with which your child may present:

Hair loss
Iron-deficiency anemia (fatigue, malaise)
Damaged skin
Spoon shaped nails
Poor wound healing
Bruising under minor pressure
Bone related problems
Lower immunity
Severe inflammation
Weight gain
Gum inflammation and tooth loss

Hair loss: Hair loss in teens can result from vitamin C deficiency, causing malformed protein structures and corkscrew-shaped hair. This leads to hair breakage or falling out. Vitamin C supplementation can help reverse this damage. (15)

Iron-deficiency anemia: Symptoms of iron deficiency include fatigue, dry skin, frizzy hair, headaches, pale skin, breathing difficulty, and spoon-shaped nails. Vitamin C is essential for iron absorption, and deficiency can lead to anemia. Ensure children with anemia get iron-rich and vitamin C-inclusive foods. (16)

Damaged skin: Vitamin C is essential for skin health, protecting it from damage by smoke, ozone, radiation, and oxidative stress. It promotes collagen production, keeping skin glowing and youthful. Deficiency can lead to skin damage and an unattractive skin appearance. (17)

Spoon shaped nails: Severely malnourished children may develop koilonychia, causing fragile, spoon-shaped nails and red spots from ruptured blood vessels due to vitamin C loss. Early intervention can reverse this, but prolonged malnutrition makes it harder. Ensure your child gets enough vitamin C for healthy nails. (18)

Poor wound healing: Without sufficient vitamin C, children may experience slow wound healing due to reduced collagen formation. Deficiency can lead to chronic ulcers and reopened wounds, causing further damage. Ensure your child’s vitamin C intake is adequate if wound healing is poor. (19)

Bruising under minor pressure: Frequent bruising from minor falls or pressure in children can indicate low vitamin C, which causes ruptured blood vessels and decreases collagen production. This impairs the body’s healing ability. If bruises appear often, check your child’s vitamin C intake. (20)

Bone related problems: Adequate vitamin C helps bones heal better and form properly. A deficiency impairs bone repair, increasing fracture risk and affecting growth. Ensure your child gets enough vitamin C through diet or supplements to support healthy bone development. (21)

Lower immunity: Vitamin C supports the immune system by helping white blood cells destroy pathogens, protecting against illness and disease. A deficiency weakens immunity, leaving your child more vulnerable, especially to conditions like pneumonia. (22)

Severe inflammation: Vitamin C neutralizes free radicals, preventing oxidative stress and inflammation linked to chronic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. Low vitamin C levels increase these risks, especially in teenagers with poor diets. Ensure proper vitamin C intake to minimize these health issues. (23)(24)

Gum inflammation and tooth loss: Red, swollen, and bleeding gums are common signs of vitamin C deficiency, causing pain and weakened blood vessels. Teenagers may also experience tooth loss due to inflamed gums. In severe cases, gums may become purple and rotten, leading to tooth loss. (25)

How Much Vitamin C Should I Take Daily?

Vitamin C dosing recommendations are provided in the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) by the Food and Nutrition Board. Pregnant and lactating individuals may require more, so consult a physician for guidance if applicable. (1)

Age	Recommended daily amount in milligrams (mg)
0-6 months	40 mg
7-12 months	50 mg
1-3 years	15 mg
4-8 years	25 mg
9-13 years	45 mg
14-18 years	75 mg (male)/65 mg (female)
19+ years	90 mg (male)/75 mg (female)

Should you Give Vitamin C Supplements to Your Child?

Vitamin C is commonly found in natural foods, and supplements include ascorbic acid, Ester-C®, and ascorbic acid with bioflavonoids. Studies show no significant difference in effectiveness, though doctors often recommend simple ascorbic acid.

Vitamin C supplements should be taken only as recommended by a physician, typically when blood levels are low and diet isn't sufficient. They are often used to prevent and treat colds or included in multivitamins for overall health. (1)

What are Vitamin C Foods?

Common sources of vitamin C in a typical American diet include tomatoes, potatoes, citrus fruits, red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe. Some breakfast cereals are also fortified with vitamin C.

Storage and preparation can affect the vitamin C content in foods. Long-term storage and overcooking can diminish vitamin C levels since ascorbic acid is water-soluble and destroyed by heat. Steaming or microwaving foods may help retain more vitamin C. Eating citrus fruits and vegetables raw reduces vitamin C loss. Aim for five servings of fruits and vegetables daily to meet your child's vitamin C needs. (1)

Food Name	Serving size	Milligrams (mg) per serving	% daily value (DV)
Red pepper, sweet, raw	1/2 cup	95 mg	106
Orange juice	3/4 cup	93 mg	103
Orange	1 medium	70 mg	78
Grapefruit juice	3/4 cup	70 mg	78
Kiwi fruit	1 medium	64 mg	71
Green pepper, sweet, raw	1/2 cup	60 mg	67
Broccoli, cooked	1/2 cup	51 mg	57
Strawberries, fresh, sliced	1/2 cup	49 mg	54
Brussels sprout, cooked	1/2 cup	48 mg	53
Grapefruit	1/2 medium	39 mg	43
Broccoli, raw	1/2 cup	39 mg	43
Tomato juice	3/4 cup	33 mg	37
Cantaloupe	311/2 cup	29 mg	32
Cabbage, cooked	1/2 cup	28 mg	31
Cauliflower, raw	1/2 cup	26 mg	29
Potato, baked	1 medium	17 mg	19
Tomato, raw	1 medium	17 mg	19
Spinach, cooked	1/2 cup	9 mg	10
Green peas, frozen, cooked	1/2 cup	8 mg	9

Risks and Side Effects of Vitamin C

Recommended vitamin C amounts are safe for children, but long-term overuse can cause diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal discomfort due to unabsorbed vitamin C. Excessive intake may also lead to kidney problems due to increased uric acid and oxalate in urine. Consult a doctor if your child has kidney issues.

Excessive vitamin C can lead to iron overload, tissue damage, and reduced levels of copper and vitamin B12. Overconsumption may also cause teeth enamel erosion and allergic reactions, especially from too much citrus juice. It’s important to follow recommended vitamin intake and get nutrients from diverse sources for healthy development and body function. (1)

Summary

Vitamin C is essential for your child’s growth, supporting iron absorption, tissue repair, and collagen production for skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Since it’s water-soluble and excreted in urine, ensure your child gets the recommended daily amount to avoid deficiency.

A healthy, whole food diet is the best way to meet vitamin C needs. Fortified foods and supplements may be helpful during pregnancy, lactation, or stages of deficiency. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans offer useful guidance, but it’s always best to consult a physician to address your family’s specific nutritional needs.

References

Disclaimer: The content of this blog post is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should not use this information for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement and with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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