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Human Nutrition and Digestion: Question 6

Syllabus 7.1

Multiple choice Core 1 mark

A sailor spends four months on a long sea voyage, eating only dried meat, ship's biscuit and salted fish, with no fresh fruit or vegetables available. Toward the end of the voyage, he develops swollen, bleeding gums, and small wounds on his skin stop healing properly.

Which statement best explains these symptoms?

Choose an answer to check it, then compare with the worked solution below.
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Worked solution

Step 1: Identify what is missing from the sailor’s diet

Dried meat, ship’s biscuit and salted fish are all preserved foods that contain little or no vitamin C. Fresh fruit and vegetables are the main dietary source of vitamin C, and the sailor has had none of these for four months.

A long-term lack of vitamin C causes the deficiency disease scurvy. Vitamin C is needed to keep gums, skin and other connective tissue healthy, so a deficiency leads to swollen, bleeding gums and to wounds that fail to heal normally, exactly as described.

Step 3: Rule out the other options

  • A: a lack of fibre mainly causes constipation, a problem with bowel movements, not bleeding gums or poor wound healing.
  • C: a lack of calcium and vitamin D causes rickets, which produces weak, poorly developed bones, not bleeding gums.
  • D: a lack of protein would slow growth and repair generally, but the specific combination of bleeding gums and slow wound healing after months without fresh produce points to a lack of vitamin C, not simply too little protein.

Final answer

The sailor’s diet lacks vitamin C, so he has developed scurvy, which causes bleeding gums and poor wound healing, option B.