bleeding gums? it may be a vitamin deficiency

careful brushers and devoted flossers may wonder why they keep seeing pink in the sink in spite of their devotion to dental hygiene. a new study from the university of washington suggests that if you’re experiencing bleeding gums and it’s definitely not gingivitis, you may be lacking in vitamin c.

an analysis of 15 clinical trials published in nutrition reviews looked at the health data of 8,210 u.s. residents as well as 1,140 largely healthy participants from other countries. a news release explained that “bleeding of the gums on gentle probing, or gingival bleeding tendency, and also bleeding in the eye, or retinal hemorrhaging, were associated with low vitamin c levels in the bloodstream.” increasing daily vitamin c intake helped reverse the issue.

common sources of vitamin c include citrus fruits such as oranges, broccoli, sweet peppers, kale and kiwi. the vitamin helps your body absorb iron, can hasten the healing of wounds and also acts as an antioxidant, according to health canada .

the amount of recommended daily vitamin c intake depends on age : 90 mg is suggested for adult men and 75 g for adult women. women who are breastfeeding should take 120 mg.

a recent mcmaster university report found that while scurvy, a disease characterized by a severe lack of the vitamin, might sound old-fashioned, it’s still a problem for some canadians. in a study of nine year’s worth of data from two hamilton-based hospital sysems, researchers found 52 individuals with low vitamin c levels — 13 who could be diagnosed as having scurvy and 39 who tested positive for scurvy but did not have documented symptoms.