How does vitamin C prevent Scurvy?
A reader recently asked the question of how vitamin C prevents Scurvy. To answer this question for everyone, it is first important to understand what scurvy is. Scurvy is a disease wherein the body cannot create enough collagen due to a lack of vitamin C. Basically, your body cannot manufacture the connective tissue which holds your organs and teeth in place, and cushions your joints.
So the short answer to the question is that vitamin C plays a rather critical role in how your body makes collagen (connective tissue). Vitamin C, like other vitamins, is a catalyst, a molecule that helps chemical reactions occur with less time and effort. While this article will not delve into the exact biochemistry of how the body produces collagen, it should be noted that vitamin C hydroxialtes two amino acids (the building blocks of life) proline and lysine which then go on to create collagen, thus preventing scurvy.
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