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A long time ago, pirates, explorers and sailors were struck by a mysterious disease that caused them to suffer a slow and painful death.
Now this disease is coming back, in places you would least expect.
The disease, called scurvy, is caused by a lack of vitamin C, found mainly in fruits and vegetables.
Early symptoms of the disease include fatigue, nausea and joint pain, but later they can cause swelling of the gums, severe bruising and bleeding into the joints and muscles.
In children, it can affect the bones and cause stunted growth.
In the worst cases, scurvy can lead to death from complications such as internal bleeding.
Fortunately, scurvy is easy to treat - simply increase the amount of vitamin C in the diet.
Food with Vitamin C/ShutterStock, Evan Lorne
Scurvy mainly affected sailors from the 18th century, since long periods at sea meant a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables to eat, so the disease severely affected the British Royal Navy, among others, whose sailors were more likely to die from diseases like scurvy than from fighting or storms at sea.
Today, scurvy is mostly seen in the developing world, where malnutrition is most common.
But scurvy seems to be experiencing a resurgence in countries where people should have access to plenty of foods rich in vitamin C.
This occurrence is explored in a new documentary called Vitamania.
One of the episodes doctor Eric Churchill explained that his team alone has diagnosed between 20 and 30 new cases of scurvy in the last six years - a surprisingly high number.
but why?
"Many people who have trouble affording healthy food tend to go for food that is high in fat, calories and very filling," Churchill says in the documentary.
"If you have a limited food budget, these are the meals that will fill you up and satisfy you more than eating fruits and vegetables."
Therefore, those of lower socioeconomic status within rich countries are the ones affected by this nutritional disease, something that needs to be addressed.
"Scurvy is a disease that is so basic and easy to avoid, yet these people have fallen victim to a disease that simply should not exist in a developed country," Churchill said.
It's not just a lack of fruits and vegetables that can lead to scurvy - the way we cook them can also have an effect.
Overcooking vegetables can destroy the essential vitamins inside them.
Excellent sources of vitamin C include tomatoes, oranges, peppers, guavas, strawberries and cilantro.
More on the same topic:
vitamin c
diet
strawberries