Different Forms Of Vitamin C And How To Use Them
Supplements
DISCLAIMER
This blog has not been approved by your local health department and is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment, or medical advice. Read More
Vitamin C, also referred to as ascorbic acid or ascorbate, has been one of the most researched vitamins over the last 50 years. A search of the scientific literature reveals that over 65,000 studies have been conducted on vitamin C in the past century.
Many scientists believe that at one time the human body had the ability to make vitamin C, but due to a genetic mutation , we lost this capacity over time. Essentially, all species of animals, including most mammals, can make vitamin Cthe exceptions are humans, monkeys, and guinea pigs as well as some bats, birds, and fish species. As a result, we humans must consume vitamin C in our diets.
Currently, the Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin C is 90 mg per day for men and 75 mg per day for women. Smokers, who are 400 percent more likely to be deficient than non-smokers due to the excess oxidation caused by the cigarettes, require more to maintain healthy levels of the vitamin. The brain and adrenal glands have the highest concentrations of vitamin C at 15 to 50 times higher than those found in the blood. Vitamin C, which has antioxidant properties, is also an enzyme co-factor for at least eight important biochemical reactions.
Can I Take Vitamin C At Night
New research suggests that taking a vitamin C supplement actually helps you improve your sleep, relieves restless leg syndrome, and decreases the effects of sleep apnea.
But before you decide to take your dose at night, be aware that ascorbic acid is acidic. If you have a history of acid reflux, you probably want to take your vitamin in the morning to lower the risk of getting heartburn symptoms that interfere with sleep.
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So Which Is The Best Type Of Vitamin C For The Skin
Of all the different forms of vitamin C available on the market, Dr. Paik is the biggest fan of LAA for its efficacy. Overall, youre best off with finding a solid LAA serum that is stable, suggests Dr. Paik. Look for vitamin E and ferulic acid alongside LAA, which is shown to help stabilize this ingredient.
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What Are The Benefits Of Taking Vitamin C
The effects of vitamin C as an immune-booster are well-known, but the fact is that this critical vitamin is an antioxidant your body needs ALL the time, regardless of whether or not youre actively fighting something.
Other powerful benefits of vitamin C include:
- Building and maintaining healthy collagen
- Supporting faster wound healing
- Maintaining the health of your joints, bones, and teeth
- Reducing the risk of developing chronic disease
- Minimizing the effects of aging so you continue to feel your best
Inflammation is the biggest driver of pain, chronic disease, and hormone strugglesespecially as we get older. Using key supplements like vitamin C to lower this inflammatory burden is the best and easiest way to experience major health breakthroughs while protecting your longevity!
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Who Would Not Benefit From A Vitamin C Supplement
While vitamin C has relatively low toxicity, there are still some groups of people who may want to avoid taking a vitamin C supplement. Some of these groups include:
- Those with blood disorders
- Those with excess iron, since vitamin C enhances absorption
- Those who concerns about blood sugar levels, since vitamin C can increase such levels
If you have concerns about whether you belong to any of these groups, check with a medical professional before deciding on vitamin C supplementation.
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Form: Liposomal Vitamin C
This form is the best absorbed and is great for those with digestive problems because it can be absorbed without fully going through the digestive system.
Liposomal vitamin C is often made with sunflower lecithin which can help the liver detoxify the body from toxins.
For those with methylation issues, like those who are heterozygous or homozygous for the MTHFR gene, liposomal vitamin c can assist in methylation.
Read: 3 Things You Need To Know About MTHFR
Best Vitamin C Supplement Benefits & Uses
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an essential vitamin that can have a powerful impact on health. From boosting iron absorption to fighting gout flare-ups, there are plenty of reasons to consider adding a vitamin C supplement to your daily routine.
So what are the benefits of taking vitamin C, and how can you pick the best natural vitamin C supplement to get the most bang for your buck? Heres what you need to know.
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Types Of Vitamin C Supplements
The easiest way to get the proper amount of vitamin C is to eat it with your meals. Its well-known to be in citrus fruits and berries, but you can also get it in veggies like potatoes, tomatoes and spinach, says Pouya Shafipour, M.D., board-certified physician with Paloma Health. To get all of the antioxidant properties as well as the benefits of the vitamin itself, its best to eat foods with vitamin C in them.
Sometimes, though, vitamin C supplementation may be necessary, especially if youre not feeling your best. Our food intake often declines when were sick, so a supplement can help us meet daily needsand then some, says Dr. Shafipour.
Vitamin C supplements come in a few different forms, and according to Dr. Shafipour, one is not necessarily better than another.
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New Age Vitamin C Gummies
Tablets and capsules not your thing? New Age makes a great gummy vitamin C supplement that has a solid dosage and relatively few extraneous ingredients.
Of course, any gummy vitamin requires more ingredients for flavoring and texture, but New Age keeps them to a minimum without compromising much on the dose. As far as gummy-based vitamin C supplements go, its easily the best.
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Maximizing Your Vitamin C
Two botanical compounds, piperine and dihydroquercetin can improve your bodys utilization of vitamin C.5-7
Piperine, a unique alkaloid found in black pepper, has been shown to significantly speed up vitamin Cs absorption into the bloodstream.5
Piperine has also been shown to increase absorption of various nutrients such as curcumin by favorably altering the characteristics of the cells lining the digestive tract.8 Studies on animals and in the lab demonstrate that piperine, administered orally, boosts cellular levels of vitamin C, especially in animals undergoing excessive oxidative stress, such as those with cancer.9,10 Higher levels appear to be the result of faster absorption, the characteristic effect of piperine.
In a human clinical study, a piperine-containing oral vitamin C supplement was superior to another enhanced vitamin C formulation, speeding the time to peak plasma concentrations of the vitamin. This resulted in a slight but important increase in the total exposure of subjects bodies to vitamin C in the first 4 hours following ingestion. At 30, 60, and even at 90 minutes post-ingestion, subjects taking the piperine-enhanced formulation had significantly higher plasma vitamin C than did subjects taking the other formulation.5
The dual effects on vitamin C of piperine and dihydroquercetin add up to a novel formulation that reaches peak plasma levels faster to keep cellular levels optimized longer.5 This represents a new harder working form of vitamin C.
What Should You Not Mix With Vitamin C
Once vitamin C was thought to be incompatible with lots of other ingredients, including retinol, but now there is plenty of research to suggest the opposite is true. This myth has been around for a long time and still lives on several websites and blogs, says Begoun. You can absolutely apply vitamin C with niacinamide, peptides, AHA and BHA exfoliants and retinol there is no single ingredient it shouldnt be used with. In fact, the science now shows that retinol and vitamin C actually work synergistically together to create healthier looking and functioning skin. Begoun references studies that have shown that applying both actives at the same time is great for ageing skin, particularly for women undergoing changes due to menopause.
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What Are The Benefits Of Vitamin A
Weve mentioned earlier that our immune system, cell growth and development, and vision are the things that mainly benefit from vitamin A. But lets break it down further:
- More often than not, we associate Vitamin A with our eyesight. Vitamins retinal component plays a big role in protecting our eyes cornea and conjunctiva . Retinal plus a protein known as opsin are also responsible for ensuring our low-light and color vision.
- It strengthens our immunity by way of facilitating the production and spread of the white blood cells known as T-cells that help shield the body from infection.
- It assists in maintaining our bodys surface tissue like our bladder, lungs, inner ear, and of course, our skin.
- Vitamin A also supports the bodys reproductive system, including the development of a fetus.
Accessories To Apply Vitamin C Serum
There are a number of tools you can use to apply vitamin c serum:
- Gua sha tool. This ancient Chinese technique is used to stimulate the facial fascia to increase skin circulation, remove blockages, and increase blood flow. Gua sha tools can be paired with any serum to help the tool glide more effectively over the skin and make absorption more effective.
- Jade roller. Like gua sha tools, jade rollers can help increase circulation, depuff skin, reduce inflammation, and expedite product absorption.
- Ionic wand for face. Using ionic technology, an ionic wand opens up the pores to help push active ingredients within a serum deep into the skin for better penetration and absorption.
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Who Needs To Take The Best Vitamin C Supplements
Vitamin C is an important nutrient that plays a critical role in maintaining overall health and wellness. It is required for the production of collagen, a structural protein found in connective tissues throughout the body. In addition to its role in skin health, vitamin C also supports immune function, bone health, and cellular repair processes.
While most people can get enough vitamin C from their diets, certain groups of people may be at risk for a deficiency. Some medical conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease or kidney failure, can affect the bodys ability to absorb vitamin C from food. Other people who might benefit from taking the best vitamin C supplements include those who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet people who smoke and older adults who have a greater risk of developing conditions that are associated with vitamin C deficiency, such as osteoporosis or heart disease.
If you think that you might benefit from the best vitamin C supplements, talk to your healthcare provider about which product is right for you. There are a wide range of options available, so be sure to consider things like price, dosage levels, and other ingredients before making a final decision. With the right supplement, however, you can help ensure that your body is getting all of the vitamin C it needs to stay healthy and strong!
Best Vitamin C Subscription: Persona Vitamin C With Bioflavonoids
Persona
A note on personalized vitamins: Persona Nutrition offers customized supplement recommendations made for you based on the results of a health questionnaire. A questionnaire cannot replace the guidance of a qualified health professional. Talk with a healthcare professional before taking any new supplements
Persona lets users take an online quiz that generates a supplement package customized to their needs and delivered monthly on a subscription plan. The assessment takes about 510 minutes and questions cover everything from mood and wellness goals to the foods you eat and the medications you take. In the end, you can make adjustments by adding the supplements you want and removing the recommendations you don’t.
Persona’s Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids is a moderate-high dose capsule packed with 500 mg of vitamin C with 90 mg of calcium and 100 mg of citrus bioflavonoids. This combination is designed for optimum bone health. That’s because vitamin C creates a collagen foundation for bone growth, calcium strengthens bones, and bioflavonoids protect against bone loss.
The Persona brand is also great for those who are mindful of the environment. Each pack is manufactured for sustainability, with recycled, eco-friendly packaging. Persona Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids is also vegan and nut-free.
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What Is The Best Form Of Vitamin C In Skin Care
When it comes to vitamin C in skin care, there are two categories: active and inactive. The only active form is L-ascorbic acid, which is the bioavailable form of vitamin C . All other forms of vitamin C are considered inactive because they have to be converted to L-ascorbic acid within the skin before they can get to work.
Inactive forms of vitamin C are still built on the foundation of L-ascorbic acid but have been modified to the point where theyre considered different molecules. These modified variations can either be an ester form of vitamin C, or they can be a different compound entirely where other components are added to stabilize the ascorbyl group. Youll notice that all the inactive forms I talk about have ascorb somewhere in the name, which is how you know its a type of vitamin C .
As I said, there are tons of different forms of vitamin C used in skin care, so Ill just be covering four of the most common ones.
A Better Form Of Vitamin C
Every tissue and cell in our body requires vitamin C for growth and repair. But because vitamin C cant be stored in the body, its difficult to maintain optimal levels. Fortunately, scientists have uncovered unique botanical extracts that increase the rate at which your body absorbs and retains vitamin C allowing you to reach peak concentration faster and maintain it longer.
Scientifically reviewed by: Dr. Kathy Wilson, Ph.D., Psychology, NHD, in May 2022. Written by: Steven Cortez.
Even though humans cannot synthesize vitamin C, every tissue and cell in our body needs this nutrient for healthy growth and repair.1,2
Maintaining optimal levels of vitamin C is difficult because it is water soluble and cannot be stored in the body.3 This inability to maintain high vitamin C levels is recognized by researchers as limiting its potential benefit, especially with regard to chronic illness.4
For years, scientists have been looking for ways to boost the impact of each dose of vitamin C. Fortunately, a method has been discovered to increase the speed at which vitamin C is absorbed.5 Reaching peak concentrations faster offers the edge your body needs to optimize its exposure to vitamin C following each dose.
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Heart And Brain Health
Vitamin C intake may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by about 25%, according to a 2004 analysis published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .
Any form of vitamin C supplement improves endothelial function, as well as ejection fraction.
Endothelial function involves the contraction and relaxation of blood vessels, enzymatic release to manage blood clotting, immunity, and platelet adhesion.Ejection fraction defines the percentage of blood that is pumped out of the ventricles when the heart contracts on every beat.
Together, these results suggest that vitamin C may play an important part in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and the improvement of heart health.
After a stroke or heart attack, its important to heal the tissues damaged by the lack of oxygen. Once blood flow is restored, the reoxygenation of previously oxygen-deprived cells leads to dtissue damage called “reperfusion injury” which is accompanied by excessive generation of free radicals.
When delivered intravenously, vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that can counteract and neutralize free radicals that cause the oxidative stress caused by reperfusion.
In one animal study, liposomal vitamin C prevented brain tissue damage from reperfusion when administered before blood flow was restricted.
How Much Vitamin C Should Adults And Children Take
The recommended daily amount of vitamin C for adults is 90 mg for men, 75 mg for women, and up to 120 mg for people who are pregnant or nursing. However, certain medical conditions may require that you take much higher doses .
Children have lower vitamin C requirements, ranging from 2575 mg per day, depending on their age. However, healthcare professionals generally do not advise giving children a vitamin C supplement unless their pediatrician has recommended it.
Note that the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for vitamin C for men and women ages 19 years and older is 2,000 mg. That said, some people experience side effects with frequent and prolonged intake of 1,000 mg per day .
Meanwhile, the UL for children ranges from 4001,800 mg, depending on their age. Daily intakes at or below these amounts are unlikely to result in any negative health effects .
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Can Vitamins Make You Gain Weight
Excess vitamins may also affect the degradation of neurotransmitters and one-carbon metabolism. Therefore, excess vitamins may trigger obesity through multiple ways, including increasing fat synthesis, causing insulin resistance, disturbing neurotransmitter metabolism and inducing epigenetic changes.
Does Vitamin C Type Affect Bioavailability
Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid, which is the form used in most supplements.
However, there are other forms of vitamin C, including:
- sodium ascorbate
- calcium ascorbate
- other mineral ascorbates
- ascorbic acid with bioflavonoids
- combination products that blend different forms
Lets stop right there before the list gets too longregardless of the form of vitamin C, their bioavailability is very similar. Although some singular studies show minor differences, the body of research surrounding vitamin C supplementation reflects that absorption remains high no matter which form you choose.
One quick note about mineral ascorbates: remember that if you opt for these forms, youre getting more than just vitamin C. Always check labels to see how much vitamin C/ascorbic acid and how much of other minerals are in each dose so you can factor that into your overall supplementation.
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