Vitamin C contributing to the more severe symptoms of scurvy. More generally, the biochemical role of vitamin C is to act as an antioxidant (a reducing agent) by donating electrons to various enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions. Doing so converts vitamin C to an oxidized state - either as semidehydroascorbic acid or dehydroascorbic acid. These compounds can be restored to a reduced state by glutathione and NADPH-dependent enzymatic mechanisms. In plants, vitamin C is a substrate for ascorbate peroxidase. This enzyme utilizes ascorbate to neutralize toxic hydrogen peroxide (HO) by converting it to water (HO). Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency in Australia osteoporosis in the elderly populations. Low levels of Vitamin D have also been associated with other conditions such as heart disease, cancer and kidney disease but further research is required. Recent evidence suggests Vitamin D is also linked to many other health diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis and some form of cancer. Rickets can be traced back to the 1600s, where a pandemic arose with children around the globe from Vitamin D deficiency. The inadequate intake of UV exposure consequently lead children to numerous health problems such as, growth retardation, muscle weakness, skeletal