Food insecurity linked to significant vitamin C deficiencies

Vitamin C deficiencies observed among some British Columbians clearly demonstrate that they do not have sufficient access to fruits and vegetables and quality food, experts say.

They call for urgent intervention from governments.

Over the past 10 years, the province has recorded 691 cases linked to significant vitamin C deficiency, according to data obtained by -. Such deficiencies do not necessarily lead to the development of scurvy, a disease that can lead to tooth loss, says the Ministry of Health.

However, this type of deficiency reveals a symptom of a more serious problem, believes Malek Batal, professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Montreal and holder of the Canada Research Chair in inequalities in nutrition and health.

This highlights the lack of access of a large part of the population to healthy food due to economic difficulties.

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Mr. Batal points out that people who have a tight budget will not favor fruits and vegetables, because these are not foods that will give satiety to their children, to the family.

They will favor foods high in calories, which will therefore fill them up, but without necessarily looking at food quality.

Incidences of scurvy or vitamin C deficiency are thought to be just the tip of the iceberg.

“Never seen before in 35 years”

The executive director of the Saanich Neighborhood Place center, Jacquelin Green, agrees with Professor Malek Batal: We end up with people who have these deficiencies because they’re basically just eating carbohydrates because that’s what’s offered at the food bank.

There are a million loaves of bread available. That’s all well and good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not a healthy dietshe continues.

The municipality of Saanich, located in the suburbs of Victoria, is home to a diverse population, but one that is finding it increasingly difficult to feed itself.

The center that Ms. Green manages saw 13,211 visits last year for a multitude of services, such as daycare or toy distribution. However, according to the director, the center could only be an emergency food bank: People can no longer afford fresh fruits and vegetables.

As soon as we have fresh fruit in our emergency fridges, they disappear immediately because the need is so great.

In my 35 years of career in the community, I have never seen the food insecurity situation be so serious.

Treat the cause of the symptom

The province is not alone in facing this public health problem. This year, researchers discovered 27 cases of scurvy in a single Saskatchewan community.

Elsewhere in the world, Australia has also seen cases of scurvy in recent years on its territory. As is the case in British Columbia, this country does not systematically list cases linked to a lack of vitamin C.

Doctor Tim Senior has worked in remote Australian communities.

He points out that while it is complicated to test for vitamin C deficiency – since blood samples must be kept in the dark, for example, and at low temperatures – the simple question of eating habits should be routine.

The important thing is to identify gaps in the patients’ diet and ask if they are able to afford certain foods.he explains.

The problem upstream is the lack of access, adds Malek Bata. Because vitamin C is still found quite easily in fruits and vegetables, but it is also added to fruit juices or certain drinks that are not even real juices.

This means that people don’t even have access to these foodshe laments.

Doctors are not required to report detected cases of scurvy to British Columbia.

As to whether this disease should be included in the Reportable Diseases Regulations, for the moment, the Ministry of Health indicates that this data is not collected, because the disease is not contagious.

Instead, experts believe that permanent solutions to access to healthy foods must be adopted.

And why not adopt guaranteed universal income? suggests Jacquelin Green.