Who Discovered Vitamin C: The Story Of A Crucial Nutrient

Let’s talk about vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid. You might know it as the vitamin that helps prevent scurvy, but did you know that Albert Szent-Györgyi, a brilliant Hungarian biochemist, is the one we credit with its discovery?

Szent-Györgyi was a real scientific superstar. He wasn’t just interested in vitamin C; he also made important discoveries about rutin, a compound related to vitamin P. This work led him to the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1937 for his research on oxidation and the discovery of vitamin C.

But hold on, the story doesn’t start there. It goes back to the 1700s when sailors started understanding that eating citrus fruits could prevent scurvy, a terrible disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. Fast forward to the 1920s, when scientists were busy trying to figure out what exactly was causing this disease and how to cure it. Szent-Györgyi, along with other researchers, became fascinated with the mysterious anti-scurvy factor.

Szent-Györgyi’s big breakthrough came when he was studying the adrenal glands of animals. He isolated a substance that he believed was the anti-scurvy factor. He named it hexuronic acid and found it to be present in many fruits and vegetables. We know it today as vitamin C. Szent-Györgyi’s research was so important because it helped us understand the role of vitamin C in our bodies and its importance in preventing scurvy. His work helped pave the way for better nutrition and a healthier future for everyone.