What is the daily required dose of Vitamin C for adults?

Punjab CHO - 2021

Applied Nutrition & Dietetics

Easy

Appeared in: Punjab CHO - 2021

Explanation

The latest Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines from 2020 recommend a higher intake of Vitamin C than previous standards.
The RDA for an adult male is 75 mg/day and for an adult female is 65 mg/day.
The option of 80 mg is the closest to the current recommendation for males and is the specific RDA for pregnant women under the 2020 guidelines.
This reflects an updated understanding of the vitamin's role in health, moving away from older, lower recommendations.

Option A: 30 mg is insufficient for the daily needs of an adult and is closer to the requirement for infants or young children.
Option B: 60 mg is an outdated recommendation for the general adult population. According to the older ICMR 2009 guidelines, this was the specific requirement for pregnant women, not for all adults.
Option D: 10 mg is a sub-therapeutic dose. While this small amount might be enough to prevent the most severe symptoms of scurvy, it is far below the amount needed for optimal health and antioxidant function.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing The concept tested is the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C in adults helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Nurses play a key role in nutritional counseling. Knowing the most current RDA for Vitamin C is essential for advising patients on diet, especially those at risk for deficiency (e.g., smokers, patients with malabsorption, or poor dietary habits).
During patient assessment, signs like bleeding gums, slow wound healing, or frequent infections can be red flags for Vitamin C deficiency, prompting the nurse to recommend a dietary review or consult.
What if the patient is a heavy smoker? The nurse should advise that smoking increases oxidative stress and depletes Vitamin C, so their requirement may be even higher than the standard RDA, often by an additional 35 mg/day.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core of the question: it asks for a specific numerical value, the RDA of Vitamin C for adults.
Recognize that nutritional guidelines can change over time. The options may include both old and new recommendations.
Scan the options: 10, 30, 60, 80 mg. These are all plausible doses for vitamins, so direct recall of the correct value is needed.
Recall or look up the most current guidelines (e.g., ICMR 2020). The latest RDA is 65 mg for women and 75 mg for men.
Compare the current guidelines to the given options. The option 80 mg is the closest to the current recommendations and is also the specific value for pregnancy.
Select the best-fit answer based on the most up-to-date scientific evidence, which points to a higher requirement than the older 60 mg standard.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: The concept tested is the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C in adults.
Stem keywords: daily required dose, Vitamin C, adults
Lead-in keywords: What is

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