Geschatte leestijd: 2 minutenA doctor from Australia has discovered multiple cases of scurvy in his clinic. The reason: Vitamin C deficiency due to diabetics avoiding fruit for fear of sugars and overcooked vegetables.
Scurvy
I had to read it again: scurvy. Wasn’t that the way God punished sailors of the VOC for plundering the world? Ok, judgments aside, those times seemed to have passed a few hundred years ago. Sailors who lacked vitamin C because fruits and vegetables could only be preserved in limited quantities.
Although scurvy had not been seen in Western societies for a long time, cases have reportedly surfaced in both Spain and England. For instance, a baby developed scurvy from consuming only almond milk [1]. Now, twelve cases have been discovered in a clinic for diabetes and obesity in Australia [2].
The head of the clinic, Jenny Gunton, discovered the disease when the wounds of several of her patients refused to heal. Bleeding gums, bruises, hemorrhages, and joint pain can all be symptoms. Based on a blood test, the diagnosis of scurvy was then made. A vitamin C treatment led to healing.
When I asked about their diet, one person was eating little or no fresh fruit and vegetables, but the rest ate fair amounts of vegetables; they were simply over-cooking them, which destroys the vitamin C,
It highlights a danger that you can consume plenty of calories, yet not receive enough nutrients.
-Jenny Gunton, Westmead Institute
Some consciously avoided fruit to prevent fructose from raising their blood sugar too much. Others consumed enough vegetables but overcooked them.
Gunton also points out that people can be overweight or even obese and still develop scurvy. Normally a sign of malnutrition, now a sign of a specific vitamin C deficiency. Moreover, socioeconomic background was not an indicator of the risk of scurvy among her patients. Not having money for the right healthy food was not a cause.
Bringing Scurvy Back into Focus
It turns out to be mainly a matter of re-education when it comes to nutritional needs. Moreover, physicians must be vigilant again for the symptoms in order to consider this pirate disease.
References
- medicalxpress.com/news/2016-01-case-scurvy-infant-consuming-almond.html
- medicalxpress.com/news/2016-11-poor-diet-scurvy-reappear-australia.html
