We may dislike eating our vegetables, but do you know that vegetables contain numerous amounts of vitamins? Especially vitamin C. Not only is it present in fruits and vegetables, but also in meat that we eat. Most mammals can produce vitamin C on their own, but we humans can't.
The reason why our bodies can't synthesize vitamin C is due to lack of an enzyme that catalyzes intermediate metabolites. into vitamin C. The long-time mutations accumulated on the gene of the enzyme had caused it to disappear.
Most of us may think of vitamin C as citric acid, which is generated during cellular respiration of mammals, including humans. But actually it is not. Vitamin C is actually ascorbic acid.
It acts as a coupling factor for an enzyme that synthesizes a component of extracellular matrix collagen. The incorporation of ascorbic acid with the enzyme adds hydroxyl group on proline residue in collagen. This reaction generates hydroxyproline, which stabilizes the structure of collagen. The deficiency of vitamin C can increase the risk of certain diseases, such as scurvy. So what is scurvy?
Scurvy is a condition specific to the deficiency of ascorbic acid. The lack of vitamin C destabilizes the structure of collagen. The following is the result of the experiment. and affects the integrity of the tissue.
Symptoms include bleeding gums, tooth decay, rough skin, and loss of integrity of microvessels. Symptoms of scurvy appear within a month if deficiency is continuous. Did you know?
One of the reasons that killed the pirates of the 18th century were not bullets, but scurvy. Yes, you heard that right. Pirates could not rely on the food pyramid chart to inform them about their required fruits and vegetables. And as a result, they were plagued with scurvy. Pirates had bleeding gums, their teeth fell out, bones atrophied.
It was a slow death, say historians. Eating citrus fruit would cure them. Currently, we rarely hear of scurvy, but if we observe in developing countries, it still exists. Extensive cooking of vegetables and meat destroys vitamin C, and thereby, we barely absorb vitamin C upon consumption.
Now you know why it is important to eat our greens while they are still green. Donate and help us make medical education universal, free, state-of-the-art and available to every human being. For more such videos, join our Facebook group.
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