Vitamin C · low result
What does a low Vitamin C mean?
Short answer
Low vitamin C reflects weeks of low fruit-and-vegetable intake — common with restrictive diets, alcohol use disorder, food insecurity, eating disorders and in smokers, who need about a third more. Absorption problems, dialysis and some cancers also lower it. Severe deficiency is scurvy: bleeding gums, bruising, poor wound healing and fatigue, which reverses within days of repletion. Vitamin C is fragile in the tube, so a low result needs a properly handled sample.
Medically reviewed by Youmna DiStefano, MD · Last reviewed September 2026
What is the normal range for Vitamin C?
- age 18+: 0.400 – 2.00 mg/dL
Can reflect inadequate dietary intake. Severe deficiency causes scurvy.
Full reference table, citations and testing options: Vitamin C biomarker page.
What are the common causes of low Vitamin C?
- Diet low in fruit and vegetables for several weeks; restrictive or 'carnivore' diets
- Smoking (higher requirement), alcohol use disorder
- Malabsorption, inflammatory bowel disease, bariatric surgery
- Dialysis, critical illness, some cancers
- Sample not protected from light or processed late (false low)
What symptoms go with low Vitamin C?
- Fatigue, irritability
- Bleeding or swollen gums, easy bruising, tiny red spots around hair follicles, corkscrew hairs
- Slow wound healing, joint pain, anemia
What do clinicians usually check next?
- Repeat with a protected, promptly processed sample
- CBC and iron studies (vitamin C deficiency impairs iron absorption)
- Dietary correction or a modest supplement; symptoms improve within days to weeks
Follow-up tests available at TestWell: CBC with Differential ($21.99), CBC (Complete Blood Count) ($21.99).
How do you recheck Vitamin C?
Prices are cash-pay; every order adds one $6 lab processing fee. Physician authorization is included; no insurance or referral needed.
| Test or panel | Type | Price | Fasting | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) | Test | $44.99 | Yes | 3–7 business days |
Common questions
How quickly does scurvy reverse?
Fast — fatigue and gum bleeding improve within days of adequate vitamin C, and most signs resolve within a few weeks.
Can vitamin C be too high?
Serum levels plateau because the kidneys excrete the excess; very high supplement doses mainly risk kidney stones in susceptible people and can interfere with some glucose and stool tests.
Educational content, not a diagnosis. Lab results are one input; a clinician interprets them with your history and exam.