Biochemistry Test

The test is ordered when, (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

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• Vitamin C deficiency is suspected
• Excess intake of vitamin C is suspected
• Presence of scurvy is suspected

A fasting blood sample is taken to carry out the vitamin C test. Overnight fasting or 12 to 14 hours of fasting is typically recommended prior to the test and a venous blood sample is taken.

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a water-soluble vitamin which is naturally present in some foods and available as a dietary supplement. It is a reducing agent and a powerful anti oxidant. It has several body functions. They include, (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Vitamin C physiology: the known and the unknown and Goldilocks

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• Formation of neuropeptides
• Production of adrenal cortical hormones
• Formation of collagen
• Metabolism of tyrosine and folate
• Lipid and vitamin metabolism
• Detoxifying enzymes in the liver
• Destruction of free radicals
• Preserving and restoring antioxidant potential of vitamin E
• Blocking the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines

Values <0.2 mg/dL indicate significant vitamin C deficiency while >3.0 mg/dL indicate excessive intake. (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Plasma

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Deficiency indicates (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Vitamin C Deficiency

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• Inadequate intake of the vitamin
• Scurvy - Prolonged vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy, a disease that results in inadequate formation of intercellular substance in connective tissues. It causes swollen, ulcerative lesions in gums, mouth, and other organs thereby weakening them.

Early symptoms of Scurvy (5^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Scurvy

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• Weakness
• Fatigue / listlessness
• Lethargy
• Shortness of breath
• Pain in the joints, bones, and muscles
• Anemia
• Depression
• Poor wound healing

Values >3.0 mg/dL indicate excess intake. It has been said that excess of vitamin C is toxic but this is not certain. Uricosuria is a condition that may be found in those with excessive vitamin C values. (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Plasma

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The need for vitamin C increases with, (6^✔ ✔Trusted Source
About Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Plasma

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• Use of aspirin
• Oral contraceptive
• Use of tetracycline and other medications
• psychological stress
• Advancing age

Care must be taken to include dietary fresh fruits and vegetables, especially in vulnerable population such as children and elderly, to avoid a near-scurvy status.

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