Is vitamin C good for rickets? Exploring its role and limitations

October 18, 2025 •

4 min read

An estimated 1 billion people worldwide have vitamin D deficiency, the most common cause of rickets. This bone-softening disease is not primarily caused by vitamin C deficiency, and recent studies show that vitamin C supplementation has no beneficial effect on nutritional rickets. While vitamin C is crucial for bone health in other ways, it is not a direct treatment for rickets, which requires significant amounts of vitamin D and calcium.

Quick Summary

This article clarifies that vitamin C is not an effective treatment for rickets, as recent studies show no significant benefit. It explains that rickets is primarily caused by a deficiency in vitamin D and/or calcium. The piece also details vitamin C's essential, albeit different, role in supporting bone health through collagen synthesis and antioxidant activity.

Key Points

Rickets is caused by vitamin D deficiency: The most common cause of nutritional rickets is an extreme lack of vitamin D, which is vital for calcium absorption.
Vitamin C is not a primary treatment: Scientific studies have shown that adding vitamin C supplements to a standard rickets treatment regimen does not provide a significant benefit.
Vitamin C supports bone through collagen: The main role of vitamin C in bone health is to act as a cofactor for collagen synthesis, the protein matrix that provides bones with structure and flexibility.
Scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency: A lack of vitamin C leads to scurvy, which affects the integrity of connective tissues and bones in a different way than rickets.
Primary treatment is vitamin D and calcium: Effective treatment for nutritional rickets involves appropriate amounts of vitamin D and adequate calcium supplementation to restore proper bone mineralization.
Prevention focuses on vitamin D and calcium: Preventing rickets is achieved by ensuring sufficient vitamin D intake through sunlight, fortified foods, and supplements for high-risk individuals like exclusively breastfed infants.
Diagnosis involves blood tests and X-rays: Rickets is diagnosed by physical exam, elevated alkaline phosphatase in blood tests, and X-rays showing classic bone deformities.

Rickets: The primary role of vitamin D

Rickets is a bone disorder in children caused by a defect in the mineralization of bone tissue. The most common cause of nutritional rickets is an extreme and prolonged deficiency of vitamin D, or, less commonly, calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D's primary function in this context is to regulate the body's calcium and phosphorus levels by helping to absorb these minerals from food. Without sufficient vitamin D, the body cannot absorb enough calcium and phosphorus to form hard, healthy bones, leading to the characteristic soft, weakened bones and skeletal deformities of rickets, such as bowed legs.

Historically, rickets was rampant during the Industrial Revolution due to a lack of sunlight exposure, which is necessary for the skin to produce vitamin D. Though far less common today in developed nations due to vitamin D fortification in foods like milk and cereal, nutritional rickets still occurs, particularly in high-risk groups. These include exclusively breastfed infants who do not receive supplementation, children with darker skin, those living in northern latitudes with less sunlight, and children with malabsorption conditions.

Why vitamin C is not a treatment for nutritional rickets

While vitamin C is an essential nutrient for overall bone health, it is not a suitable treatment for nutritional rickets. A 2025 randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of vitamin C supplementation as an add-on therapy for infants with nutritional rickets. The study found no significant difference in biochemical and radiographic markers of rickets healing between the group that received vitamin C in addition to standard treatment and the control group. This reinforces the scientific consensus that addressing the root cause of rickets—vitamin D and calcium deficiency—is the key to effective treatment.

Contrast this with vitamin C's definitive role in treating scurvy, the disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. Scurvy also impacts bone health, but through a different mechanism related to faulty collagen production, not impaired calcium absorption. The distinct pathologies of rickets and scurvy underscore why their treatments are not interchangeable.

The crucial, but different, function of vitamin C in bone health

Despite its ineffectiveness as a primary treatment for rickets, vitamin C is vital for healthy bones. Its main contribution is as a necessary cofactor for the production of collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, forming the soft tissue matrix of bones that provides flexibility and structural integrity before mineralization occurs.

Essential for collagen synthesis: Vitamin C helps convert amino acids into stable collagen molecules. Without enough vitamin C, the body produces weak, unstable collagen, impairing the foundational structure of the bone.
Supports mineral density: By supporting a strong collagen matrix, vitamin C indirectly helps maintain bone mineral density (BMD). Several studies have found a positive association between higher vitamin C intake and greater BMD, particularly in postmenopausal women with adequate calcium intake.
Acts as an antioxidant: Vitamin C's antioxidant properties protect bone cells from oxidative stress, which can lead to bone resorption and loss. This protective effect may further contribute to maintaining long-term bone health.

A comparison of vitamins C and D for bone health


Feature	Vitamin D	Vitamin C
Primary Function	Enhances calcium and phosphorus absorption from the gut.	Cofactor for collagen synthesis; protects bone cells with antioxidant properties.
Associated Deficiency	Rickets in children; osteomalacia in adults.	Scurvy, characterized by fragile connective tissues, bleeding, and poor wound healing.
Role in Mineralization	Directly essential for the mineralization process by controlling calcium and phosphorus levels.	Supports the collagen framework upon which minerals are deposited, but does not directly regulate calcium levels.
Effect on Rickets	The primary treatment for nutritional rickets. Supplementation with appropriate amounts is necessary for healing.	Not a direct treatment for rickets. Has no beneficial effect as an add-on therapy.
Bone Composition	Facilitates proper mineral content, making bones hard and strong.	Maintains the integrity and flexibility of the organic (collagen) bone matrix.

How to prevent nutritional rickets

Preventing nutritional rickets focuses on ensuring adequate intake of vitamin D and calcium. Healthcare providers play a crucial role in advising on proper diet and supplementation. Regular exposure to sunlight is another factor, though concerns about skin cancer have led to increased focus on dietary and supplemental sources.

Here are some key prevention strategies:

Infant supplementation: Exclusively breastfed infants are at a high risk because human milk contains very little vitamin D. It is recommended that breastfed babies receive a daily vitamin D supplement.
Fortified foods: Encourage older children to consume foods fortified with vitamin D and rich in calcium. Common examples include fortified milk, cereals, and some orange juices.
Dietary sources: Incorporate natural sources of vitamin D into the diet, such as fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, and fish oils.
Sunlight exposure: Encourage safe, moderate sun exposure, which stimulates the skin's natural production of vitamin D. The duration and frequency will vary depending on skin pigmentation, latitude, and season.
Addressing risk factors: Pay close attention to children with specific risk factors, such as darker skin, premature birth, or conditions affecting nutrient absorption. Regular monitoring and targeted supplementation may be necessary for these groups.

Conclusion: The correct nutrient for the condition

To be clear, while is vitamin C good for rickets?, the answer is no, it is not a direct treatment for the disease. Rickets is a bone mineralization disorder caused by a lack of vitamin D, which is essential for absorbing calcium and phosphorus. The treatment requires appropriate amounts of vitamin D and sufficient calcium, with supplementation being the cornerstone of therapy. The role of vitamin C, while important for general bone health by supporting collagen production and acting as an antioxidant, is distinct from the pathology of rickets and does not offer a solution for this specific condition. Addressing rickets effectively means correcting the root deficiency with the appropriate nutrients—vitamin D and calcium—to ensure proper bone mineralization and growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, rickets is primarily caused by a severe and prolonged deficiency of vitamin D or, less frequently, a lack of calcium or phosphorus. Vitamin C deficiency causes a different condition known as scurvy.

The primary treatment for nutritional rickets is supplementation with appropriate amounts of vitamin D and an adequate supply of calcium. This corrects the underlying deficiency and allows for proper bone mineralization.

Vitamin C is essential for bone health because it is a critical cofactor for collagen synthesis. Collagen provides the organic matrix and structural integrity of bones, but vitamin C does not directly regulate calcium absorption or mineralization like vitamin D does.

A 2025 study investigated whether vitamin C could help treat nutritional rickets as an add-on therapy but concluded that it had no beneficial effect on healing.

High-risk groups for nutritional rickets include exclusively breastfed infants who do not receive vitamin D supplements, children with dark skin, individuals with conditions that impair nutrient absorption, and those with limited exposure to sunlight.

Symptoms of rickets can include bone pain, muscle weakness, stunted growth, delayed development, and skeletal deformities such as bowed legs and a protruding chest.

Rickets is a bone mineralization defect caused by vitamin D deficiency, while scurvy is a connective tissue disorder caused by vitamin C deficiency. Though both affect bone health, their underlying mechanisms and treatments are different.