Serum vitamin C and the prevalence of vitamin C deficiency in the United States: 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
- PMID: 19675106
- DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2008.27016
Serum vitamin C and the prevalence of vitamin C deficiency in the United States: 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
Abstract
Background: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) may be the most important water-soluble antioxidant in human plasma. In the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-1994), approximately 13% of the US population was vitamin C deficient (serum concentrations <11.4 micromol/L).
Objective: The aim was to determine the most current distribution of serum vitamin C concentrations in the United States and the prevalence of deficiency in selected subgroups.
Design: Serum concentrations of total vitamin C were measured in 7277 noninstitutionalized civilians aged > or =6 y during the cross-sectional, nationally representative NHANES 2003-2004. The prevalence of deficiency was compared with results from NHANES III.
Results: The overall age-adjusted mean from the square-root transformed (SM) concentration was 51.4 micromol/L (95% CI: 48.4, 54.6). The highest concentrations were found in children and older persons. Within each race-ethnic group, women had higher concentrations than did men (P < 0.05). Mean concentrations of adult smokers were one-third lower than those of nonsmokers (SM: 35.2 compared with 50.7 micromol/L and 38.6 compared with 58.0 micromol/L in men and women, respectively). The overall prevalence (+/-SE) of age-adjusted vitamin C deficiency was 7.1 +/- 0.9%. Mean vitamin C concentrations increased (P < 0.05) and the prevalence of vitamin C deficiency decreased (P < 0.01) with increasing socioeconomic status. Recent vitamin C supplement use or adequate dietary intake decreased the risk of vitamin C deficiency (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: In NHANES 2003-2004, vitamin C status improved, and the prevalence of vitamin C deficiency was significantly lower than that during NHANES III, but smokers and low-income persons were among those at increased risk of deficiency.
Comment in
-
Vitamin C: working on the x-axis.Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Nov;90(5):1121-3. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28687. Epub 2009 Oct 7. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009. PMID: 19812178 No abstract available.
Similar articles
-
Vitamin C Status of US Adults Assessed as Part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Remained Unchanged between 2003-2006 and 2017-2018.J Appl Lab Med. 2023 Mar 6;8(2):272-284. doi: 10.1093/jalm/jfac093. J Appl Lab Med. 2023. PMID: 36592081 Free PMC article.
-
Insufficient Vitamin C Levels among Adults in the United States: Results from the NHANES Surveys, 2003-2006.Nutrients. 2021 Oct 30;13(11):3910. doi: 10.3390/nu13113910. Nutrients. 2021. PMID: 34836166 Free PMC article.
-
Global Vitamin C Status and Prevalence of Deficiency: A Cause for Concern?Nutrients. 2020 Jul 6;12(7):2008. doi: 10.3390/nu12072008. Nutrients. 2020. PMID: 32640674 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Factors Affecting Vitamin C Status and Prevalence of Deficiency: A Global Health Perspective.Nutrients. 2020 Jul 1;12(7):1963. doi: 10.3390/nu12071963. Nutrients. 2020. PMID: 32630245 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Association between vitamin B12-containing supplement consumption and prevalence of biochemically defined B12 deficiency in adults in NHANES III (third national health and nutrition examination survey).Public Health Nutr. 2010 Jan;13(1):25-31. doi: 10.1017/S1368980009990279. Epub 2009 Jun 11. Public Health Nutr. 2010. PMID: 19519972 Free PMC article.
Cited by
-
Review of the Potential Role of Ascorbate in the Prevention and Treatment of Gynecological Cancers.Antioxidants (Basel). 2024 May 19;13(5):617. doi: 10.3390/antiox13050617. Antioxidants (Basel). 2024. PMID: 38790722 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Scurvy in an Adolescent: A Case Report.Cureus. 2024 Apr 22;16(4):e58782. doi: 10.7759/cureus.58782. eCollection 2024 Apr. Cureus. 2024. PMID: 38784361 Free PMC article.
-
Combined transcriptomics and proteomics unveil the impact of vitamin C in modulating specific protein abundance in the mouse liver.Biol Res. 2024 May 12;57(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s40659-024-00509-x. Biol Res. 2024. PMID: 38735981 Free PMC article.
-
A Case of Scurvy Associated With Intracerebral Hemorrhage in a Patient With Alcohol Use Disorder.Cureus. 2024 Feb 23;16(2):e54777. doi: 10.7759/cureus.54777. eCollection 2024 Feb. Cureus. 2024. PMID: 38523974 Free PMC article.
-
Vitamin C deficiency can lead to pulmonary hypertension: a systematic review of case reports.BMC Pulm Med. 2024 Mar 19;24(1):140. doi: 10.1186/s12890-024-02941-x. BMC Pulm Med. 2024. PMID: 38504249 Free PMC article.
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical