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The Evidence

Page 40

Vitamin C on a vegan diet

Vitamin C comes almost entirely from fruits and vegetables, not meat or dairy, so a vegan plate typically carries more of it than a standard one. The federal fact sheet ties deficiency to limited food variety, not diet type.

Vegan Brief Evidence last reviewed August 22, 2026

This is a summary of the cited evidence, not medical advice.

  • Red pepper, 1/2 cup 95 mg vitamin C (106% of the DV)
  • RDA, adults 90 mg (men), 75 mg (women)
  • Deficiency Rare in developed countries; tied to limited food variety

The short version

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, builds collagen and supports immune function, and the body has no way to make its own supply. That single fact sets it apart from most nutrients on this shelf.

Primary source 01 / 04

Humans, unlike most animals, are unable to synthesize vitamin C endogenously, so it is an essential dietary component

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements Vitamin C (fact sheet for health professionals), 2021

Every human depends entirely on diet for vitamin C, and the foods that supply it are overwhelmingly plant-based to begin with, which makes this one of the rare nutrient pages where going vegan is a structural advantage rather than a risk to manage.

Fruits and vegetables carry it, not meat

NIH's own food list makes the point plainly.

Primary source 02 / 04

The best sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, and Brussels sprouts.

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements Vitamin C (fact sheet for health professionals), 2021

Half a cup of raw red pepper alone clears more than a full day's Daily Value, and the running total from an ordinary produce-heavy plate adds up fast.

Primary source 03 / 04

Consuming five varied servings of fruits and vegetables a day can provide more than 200 mg of vitamin C.

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements Vitamin C (fact sheet for health professionals), 2021

The RDA is 90 mg a day for men and 75 mg for women, with an extra 35 mg for anyone who smokes. A single orange or three-quarters of a cup of orange juice covers most of that on its own.

Who actually falls short

Scurvy, the deficiency disease, needs intake under about 10 mg a day for weeks before symptoms appear, and it has become rare wherever food access is ordinary.

Primary source 04 / 04

Vitamin C deficiency is uncommon in developed countries but can still occur in people with limited food variety.

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements Vitamin C (fact sheet for health professionals), 2021

NIH names smokers, infants fed evaporated or boiled milk, and people with a genuinely narrow diet or a malabsorption condition as the groups actually at risk. None of those categories is defined by eating plants instead of meat.

  • Iron on a vegan diet Plants have iron, just the kind your body absorbs less easily. The government fact sheet quantifies exactly how much less, and what raises the odds in your favor.
  • Vitamin E on a vegan diet Vitamin E's best sources, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils, are plant foods to begin with. NIH ties genuine deficiency to fat-malabsorption disorders, not to what's on the plate, though many Americans of any diet fall short of the RDA.
  • Vitamin A on a vegan diet Vegans get vitamin A the long way round: plants supply beta-carotene, and the body turns it into the active vitamin. The conversion is real but not identical in everyone, which is why the orange and dark-green vegetables earn their place.

Frequently asked

Do vegans get enough vitamin C?

Yes, typically more than average. NIH's fact sheet names fruits and vegetables, not animal foods, as the best sources, and five varied servings a day can supply over 200 mg against a 90 mg (men) or 75 mg (women) RDA.

Does vitamin C prevent the common cold?

Not for most people. Controlled trials covered in the same fact sheet found that regular vitamin C does not lower cold risk in the general population, though it modestly shortens colds already underway and cuts incidence by about half in people under heavy physical or cold stress, such as marathon runners. Taking it after symptoms start does not help.

The primary sources

The documents this page quotes. Read them yourself.

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