Is Vitamin C the Most Important Vitamin For You?

Mar 16, 2024

“There are more than ten thousand published scientific papers that make it quite clear that there is not one body process (such as what goes on inside cells or tissues) and not one disease or syndrome (from the common cold to leprosy) that is not influenced – directly or indirectly – by vitamin C.” Drs Emanuel Cheraskin, Marshall Ringsdorf and Emily Sisley

To demonstrate how being low in even one nutrient can affect your entire body, I’d like to give myself as an example. Even as a nutrition researcher and recognizing deficiencies from thousands of programs for clients, there is always something to learn.

I eat well, exercise, sleep and try to balance work and play. But sometimes, certain events transpire that you glance over as symptoms of stress, not realizing more precisely it is your inability to withstand stress from a deficiency.

Last year, I had a series of things happen that I attributed to stress. I injured my back in a yoga class, my eyes were bothering me when I used the computer and got glasses, my gums started receding, and just recently

I started to develop environmental allergies for the first time after moving to a new climate. I assumed everything was related to over-working (and overtraining), and that the allergies were something that apparently everyone has in this area.

I also thought about how environmental allergies really don’t make sense in an evolutionary context, and since nature always provides what we need in each environment, it would stand to reason that vitamin C and flavonoids like quercetin from plants would counterbalance the reaction to the very allergens they produce.

I had been taking what I considered a low dose of whole food vitamin C (about 150mg for acerola cherry, camu camu and rose hips) with a vitamin pack, thinking that this was a sufficient amount with my diet.

When I started reading 1) how quickly vitamin C is depleted post-harvest making my whole foods vitamin C questionable 2) how vitamin C is depleted in high amounts by stress, pollution, and exercise, and that in most food it is basically depleted from storage, processing, and cooking – I started to second guess myself.

It wasn’t until I started to experiment with 3-4 grams of vitamin C to see if I could eliminate new environmental allergies that I had never had, that I started seeing results.

My cough and allergy symptoms disappeared. I felt relaxed with a strong balanced sense of well-being despite a very stressful time of family issues. My body felt stronger and more resilient with faster recovery times. My gums looked healthier, my eyes felt stronger and I was able to maintain all of these things with a 500mg-3,000mg dose depending on circumstances. I started to wonder if vitamin C was the most important vitamin I should be taking.

How Were These Symptoms All Related to Vitamin C?

  • Vitamin C is necessary for the correct synthesis of collagen, and it helps to maintain healthy collagen. Collagen is the glue that holds your body together, and without healthy collagen, you will begin to fall apart. Vitamin C strengthens the tendons through collagen synthesis, and high dose vitamin C has been found to accelerate healing of the Achilles tendon.
  • The vitamin C concentration in the lens of the eye is one of the highest of any human tissue.
  • Vitamin C has a high concentration in the adrenal glands and is used up rapidly during times of emotional stress.
  • The link between gum health and vitamin C has long been established.
  • Vitamin C works as an antihistamine against environmental allergens.
  • Through genetic testing at Nutrition Genome, I was able to discover an increased need for vitamin C. 

Here are some other ways YOU could be deficient in vitamin C, and how it can help you stay well:

  • Vitamin C is depleted during a fever, viral illness, antibiotics, cortisone, aspirin and pain medicines.
  • Sugar and vitamin C use the same transport mechanism, which excess sugar overrides and causes deficiency.
  • Environmental toxins such as DDT, petroleum products, carbon monoxide, exposure to heavy metals such as lead, mercury or cadmium deplete vitamin C rapidly. This means just our environment is depleting our vitamin C. Adequate vitamin C intake removes toxic metals such as aluminum, mercury, and lead from the body.
  • After exposure to toxic chemicals, natural killer cell function is decreased significantly (common after chemotherapy). One study found that at a dose of 60mg per kilogram of body weight (4000mg for a 150lb person), vitamin C enhanced natural killer cell function ten-fold in 78% of patients.
  • Sulfa antibiotics increase elimination of vitamin C from the body by two to three times the normal rate.
  • Extensive research shows that adequate vitamin C reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, colds, flu, cataracts, hypertension and even depression.
  • Vitamin C speeds wound healing, helps keep the body in good repair, slows the aging process and extends life itself. A lack of vitamin C results in tiny cracks in the walls of the blood vessels, which makes the body produce more cholesterol to fill in the cracks. Vitamin C keeps blood vessels strong, reducing circulating cholesterol, while also clearing the inner walls of fat deposits. 
  • Vitamin C is also very safe; negative effects from overdosing have never been observed. Only contraindications are high amounts of oxalic acid in the urine, anemia from pyruvate kinase and G6PD deficiencies, iron metabolism disorder causing increased iron storage, sickle cell anemia.

We Once Produced Our Own Vitamin C!? How Did We Lose our Vitamin C Mojo?

What really piqued my interest about vitamin C is that we can’t produce it while some animals can, and every brightly colored berry and vegetable that contains vitamin C appear to be nature’s way of attracting us to this molecule.

Like water, neither plants or animals can live without vitamin C, making it one of the most important vitamins for survival, especially for preventing infection.

We have all probably heard the story of the sailors that got scurvy while on the sea due to a lack of fruits and vegetables and was quickly remedied by the additions of citrus to the boat.

Cases of scurvy are very serious and have accounted for millions of lost lives. But if we go back a little further, we find out something very interesting about vitamin C. The anthropoid primates were able to synthesize vitamin C. That’s right, the hominids (estimated to be 2.3 to 2.4 million years old) that include the modern human are a part of the anthropoid primate pack. It is thought our distant ancestors lost this ability roughly 41-60 million years ago.

In fact, many species, such as anthropoid primates, teleost fishes, guinea pigs, as well as some bat and Passeriformes bird species, have lost the capacity to synthesize it.

This compound is synthesized by the large majority of vertebrate and invertebrate species, including our faithful companions, the dog and cat. When’s the last time your dog or cat caught a cold? The reason we lost it has to do with an evolutionary gene mutation, much like photolayse that use to protect us from the sun. As this seems like a mutation that would have seemed unfavorable for survival, it somehow became a dominant trait and remains a mystery.

From my own studies about how diet has changed our skin color, I would place my bet on the climate-changing the available plant life, increasing vitamin C consumption and causing a genetic mutation that told the body it is no longer needed.

Yet over hundreds of millions of years, the majority of other animals did not lose this ability; most likely due to not obtaining enough from the diet to trigger a mutation. Was our intake that high?

Do We Need Higher Doses of Vitamin C for Optimal Health?

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. -Arthur Schopenhauer 

It was estimated by researchers that the Paleolithic diet provided approximately 600mg of vitamin C to our ancestors. Today, the RDA is 60mg a day for adult males and 75mg a day for adult females. Put on your thinking cap for a second and think about that. We had 400mg from freshly harvested plants, organ meats, and zero pollution.

Today, most of the vitamin C is almost absent from our foods due to storage and preparation, while we have satan’s Easter basket of chemicals in the water, air, and soil.

What about athletes? According to Dr. Colgan, Ph.D., who researched vitamin C absorption rates in athletes, he reported a variance with individuals ranging from 100-1000%. That’s 900mg to 9,000mg for males.

Guinea pig studies have found that there is a twenty-fold range in the vitamin C needs of individual guinea pigs for optimal health and that the individual variations in humans are probably just as great.

Based on stress, illness, heavy metals, 150lbs of sugar consumption per year, air pollution, water contamination, exercise, genetic variants and medications, how much do you think most of us need today?

How Three Scientists Arrived at the Same Conclusion

Linus Pauling is one of only two people who won two Nobel Prizes in different fields, and one of them was for chemistry. He is often referred to as one of the most brilliant scientists of our time, yet his research on vitamin C is what brought him the most controversy – and the most opposition from people that apparently have done something more impressive than win two Nobel Prizes.

The first was the physician Dr. Victor Herbert refuting his recommendation for the common cold, asking for research to back up his claims. Pauling sent 4 randomized double-blind clinical studies – like he asked – from which Dr. Herbert allegedly got flustered, took his ball, and went home.

Linus Pauling started out taking 3,000mg and worked up to 18,000mg of vitamin C, after receiving a letter and attached study from a biochemist showing how 3,000mg of vitamin C could extend his life 25 years or more.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Zelek Herman on the Stanford Campus, who worked with Linus Pauling for the last 15 years of his life. He claimed that Pauling was one of the most brilliant men he had met. After talking with Dr. Herman about his work with Pauling, speaking two of the six different languages he spoke as other people he knew approached him, I started to think that he was one of the most brilliant men I had met.

Pauling based his own intake of vitamin C on several factors, including the amount synthesized by animals that are able to do so, the amount consumed in the diet by wild animals that are biologically closely related to humans, and the estimated intake by our Paleolithic ancestors. He claimed he used to get colds often, but once he started taking vitamin C they never came back. He lived until he was 94 and obviously did something right. Dr. Herman continues the regiment of 10,000mg of vitamin C a day.

Raymond Francis, a chemist from MIT and author of Never Be Sick Again, saved his own life with vitamin C and came up with the theory that there is only one disease, two causes (deficiency and toxicity) and six pathways. To this day, Francis takes 10,000-12,000mg of vitamin C daily.

The truth of the matter is that every clinical practitioner I have spoken with that has decades of experience, has recommended dosages in the range of 2000mg to 6000mg orally for various disorders and recommending high dose vitamin C IV’s for cancer. For oral doses, bowel tolerance is often used to determine when the level is too much.

There is no shortage of anecdotal cases of success to back up these dosages, and, of course, it is difficult to prove what you prevented for those being proactive. Obviously, something is missing between the research and practical application of oral vitamin C.

What Do the Studies on Vitamin C Really Say?

There are currently 52,119 studies on vitamin C! I have never seen so much controversy and conflicting studies and research as I have with vitamin C. If you are limiting yourself to a Google search on vitamin C studies, you are going to be on a wild ride of confusion and possibly convinced that anything over 200mg is a waste. But you would be doing yourself a great disservice, especially if you do not take the time to see why the poor design of many vitamin C studies has stifled larger research on an inexpensive solution to possibly improving the health of the entire human population.

For the sake of not making this article ten pages in length, I will not bore you with an analysis of each study. You can read many of these in the book Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C (not boring to us science nerds), Curing the Uncurable and some fascinating double blind studies in the book How to Live Longer and Feel Better by Linus Pauling. Here a few to peak your interest:

Vitamin C and The Common Cold and Flu

In a study of 463 students that used 1,000 milligrams every hour for 6 hours, then 3 times daily after that, reported flu and cold symptoms in the test group decreased 85% compared with the control group after the administration of megadose Vitamin C.

Vitamin C and Cardiovascular Disease

For those interested in vitamin C and cardiovascular disease, you will find that from 1990-2000 there is only 1 study that shows a beneficial response to a dose of less than 500mg of vitamin C and 3 studies with no response.

You will also find 30 studies with a beneficial response over 500mg, and 4 studies with no response. So why do we highlight the negative studies and disregard higher doses again?

How Negative Vitamin C Studies Can Be Poorly Designed

What I will say is that it appears very clear that many of the negative studies:

  • Used too low a dose to find any significant value
  • Used too small of a sample population 
  • Did not understand the mechanism and half-life of vitamin C, and therefore limited it to one daily dose when multiple doses should have been used throughout the day
  • Did not take into the account the numerous health variables that change vitamin C status, and an RDA for an entire population cannnot be effectively established based on the mechanism of vitamin C and bio-individuality
  • Makes you wonder if cheap, simple and unable to be patented vitamin C is a bigger threat to pharmaceutical companies than is publicized

The Most Accurate Understanding of Vitamin C

The Dynamic Flow Model put forth by Dr. Steve Hickey and Dr. Hillary Roberts addresses the flaws in vitamin C research, while also giving the best explanation as to the full mechanism of vitamin C in the body.

“It is biologically useful to have a dynamic flow through the body, even though not all the ascorbate is absorbed. During times of stress or infection, ascorbate absorption is increased; the surplus dietary ascorbate then acts as a reservoir upon which the body can draw without delay.”

In animals when levels are low, they make more. Humans cannot do this, and continually need to fill the reservoir for protection against free radical tissue damage that can happen continually throughout the day from our lifestyle, environment, and exercise frequency.

Therefore it stands to reason a surplus of vitamin C would be better than a deficiency, with the dosage being spread out throughout the day.

How to Choose the Right Vitamin C

There are three simple rules for choosing a vitamin C product.

1. It should be 100 percent L-ascorbic acid and NOT 50 percent D-isoascorbic acid, the isomer. D-isoascorbic acid is considered biologically inert, an irritant and may even interfere with vitamin C metabolism.

2. It should be fully reduced. This means it is 100 percent in the anti-oxidant form, not the pro-oxidant form which will damage tissues.

3. It should be from non-GMO corn (more of an environmental bonus than change to the final product) or non-corn sources like potatoes, beets, or tapioca.

There does not appear to be any difference or advantage with flavonoids for increasing absorption, however, they do have other important health qualities and come with vitamin C foods known as vitamin P. There are some indications that Ester-C should be avoided.

Regarding Lypo-spheric C: Raymond Francis states that it is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist (vitamin C getting into the tissues), however the claim from Lypo-Spheric C is that it allows more in.

He also states that dissolving ascorbate in water to make tiny nano-particles will cause the dissolved oxygen in the water to oxidize the C. The form of ascorbate presumably used in this product is calcium ascorbate that consists of D, L-ascorbate, meaning it is 50% D-ascorbate and only 50% L-ascorbate.

Dr. Steve Hickey is the creator of Lypo-Spheric C, and from what I’ve read has done the best job of elucidating the mechanism of vitamin C and breaking down poor studies.

One is a chemist from MIT and the other a Medical Biophysicist from the University of Manchester. We may need a one on one match in the lab with these titans to know the truth.

Here Are Products that Follow These Guidelines: To Your Health!

Avoid products that contain sodium benzoate and vitamin C together. In certain conditions, sodium benzoate combines with ascorbic acid to create benzene, a known cause of cancer.

1. Thorne Research Vitamin C

I emailed Thorne Research and had the 3 rules confirmed with a medical professional, and it contains the flavonoids or vitamin P. The flavonoids (rutin, hesperidin, and quercetin) play important roles for lowering inflammation. Hesperidin in particular, is a natural aromatase inhibitor.

Thorne Research has proven time and time again to be one of the most trustworthy companies for a consistent and clean product.

2. C-Salts Buffered Vitamin C

This is a corn free, non-GMO buffered vitamin C with a long successful 35-year history and is best for those with sensitive stomachs. It has been recommended in the past by Linus Pauling and Dr. Weil.

A buffered vitamin C contains calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc to buffer ascorbic acid, making it easy on the stomach. It is much easier to use higher dosages or smaller dosages for children as well. Note that the serving size is 1 tsp., 4,000mg. Dose accordingly.

3. PaleoValley Essential C Complex

PaleoValley reached out to me regarding their new vitamin C product and had it tested 30 days after manufacturing for stability. It came back 474.9mg per 2 capsules! They nailed the sourcing, processing and stability for whole food vitamin C to help you get your Paleolithic dose.

4. Xymogen Bio-C 1:1

This product uses L-ascorbate with a higher dose of bioflavonoids for all the phytonutrient, synergistic benefits. 

5. Pure Synergy Pure Radiance C Powder

I have included this vitamin C whole food powder because I think it is a good option for children who require a smaller dose.

While the amount of vitamin C is reduced after processing from whole food products, Pure Synergy appears to have better stability than most.

Other Sources
1. www.beyondhealth.com
2. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu
3. Primal Panacea by Thomas E. Levy MD
4. How to Live Longer and Feel Better by Linus Pauling
5. Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C by Dr. Steve Hickey and Dr. Hilary Roberts
6. The Vitamin C Foundation

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65 Comments

  1. Donna

    I just had a hystarectomy and i lost my gall bladder in 2005 and I had back surgery in 1995 and may be facing more surgery in the upcoming year. I have a food allergy to soybean. My son is a carrier hemochromatosis disease. My boyfriend has low testosterone. We love food but what foods should we eat to keep us healthy sine we all have health problems now?

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Donna,

      All of you have different needs, and I couldn’t do a very good job of making recommendations without a full analysis and consultation at http://www.swansonhealthcenter.com.

      On the home page of PaleoEdge, if you scroll down you will see the general overall list of foods I recommend. On the heart disease article, I have a food list at the bottom that is even more specific for what to avoid found here.

      For low testosterone, I have an article that shows you how to raise it naturally found here.

      Let me know if I can be of any more help.

      Reply
  2. Chris

    I agree with you 100% of the “poorly designed studies.” I’ll take that further and say many are “designed to fail” due to an agenda. For instance, 1 study shown in Reader’s Digest claimed “Vit C Did Nothing For Colds Or Flu”. When I looked at the study it showed participants took a measly 300mg once a day, lol.

    Anyone who knows anything about Vit C, knows it has a short half life and therefore must be taken several times throughout the day to elevate the blood levels. Otherwise it’s not going to affect disease much.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Chris,

      Exactly! We also all have different requirements, and I have seen nothing but positive results when using the right dosage of vitamin C.

      Reply
  3. Riva

    Today is the first time I have come across your site & really enjoy the in depth look at many of these supplements & reports. Thank you. I have a family friend who is purchasing his supplements from gnc & I don’t know much about their stuff. They gave him a gnc 1,000 vit c with bioflavonoids & rose hips time released pills. He just had appendix removed & found out his gallbladder is working at 22% so I’m helping him review his diet. (He is also taking healthy delights chewable 5,000mcg biotin which seems extreme to me!!!
    I currently take hakala c-tab 1,000mg … If I feel run down I found it helpful to take 2-3 pills. How do you feel about the 2 brands? Thank you for your time.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Riva,

      Glad you are enjoying the articles! As a general rule, I don’t hold a high opinion of GNC brand supplements. I think a lot of them are poorly made and formulated. For the vitamin C, it is worth calling GNC to confirm if it is 100 percent L-ascorbate, and not 50 percent D-ascorbate. The same with Hakala, which is not a company I am not familiar with. I would agree with you that 5,000mcg of biotin is extreme, and potentially damaging.

      Reply
  4. Dylan

    Hey Alex, i purchased c salts and was reading up on a ascorbic flush. What is your opionion on it? Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Dylan,

      I have only read about the vitamin C flush from Raymond Francis/Perque and Dr. Levy, and heard anecdotal accounts. The closest I have come to something similar is using 1,000mg on the hour in the beginning stages of a cold/flu to knock it out. I would like to find more research on what exactly is occurring during the flush because it sounds very interesting for detoxification purposes.

      Reply
  5. Sue Snyder

    Alex, Hi! It’s Sue from the office. This is most interesting; I hadn’t seen it before. My question is regarding the chewable Cs from Trader Joe’s. They are 500mg of ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate. The key words are sort of there (?), but the “L” is missing and I don’t know where the sodium fits in. Are they any good at all? It’s hard to be a layman in such an important field.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Sue,

      Great to hear from you! I sent an email with some questions to Trader Joes regarding this product. As soon as I hear back I will let you know.

      Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Sue,

      I just heard back from Trader Joes and they confirmed it is L-ascorbate. My only criticism would be the use of sugar in the product.

      Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Robin,

      This is still in the form of L-ascorbate but is mixed with sodium bicarbonate which lowers the acidity. It looks high quality, so I would be surprised if it wasn’t 100% L-ascorbate. If you are doing megadoses of vitamin C, be aware that this could give you a larger dose of sodium.

      Reply
  6. keith loreth

    I use Natural Factors Vitamin C 1000 mg [ ascorbic acid ] citrus bioflavonoids 100 mg, rosehip 4 to 1 extract 100 mg tablets. Is this a good product?

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Keith,

      Yes, I got it verified that is 100% L-ascorbate. They also have a buffered calcium ascorbate powder that is only available in Canada.

      Reply
  7. Renee Cisneros

    Hi, just read your article thank you for all the good information. I was wondering if you have any take on children taking vitamin C? How much especially during this cold/ flu season?

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Renee,

      I think it is fine for children to take vitamin C. The amount ranges based on age/weight. Typically, this amount may be between 200mg-500mg up to age 12.

      Reply
  8. Bridget

    Regarding Lypo-spheric C – Since writing this article in 2014, do you now have any further opinions on lypo-spheric C and claims of higher levels of absorption?

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Bridget,

      Great question. At the time of this article, only one pilot study with two subjects had been done with 5g of lipo-spheric vitamin C vs. regular vitamin C. That study didn’t find any difference. However, just recently, a study was conducted with 11 subjects and 4g of liposomal vitamin C, regular vitamin C, intravenous vitamin C and a placebo. The intravenous vitamin C had the highest absorption, then Lypo-spheric, regular and placebo. They demonstrated Lypo-spheric did achieve higher absorption rates. However, this study was funded by the company that makes Lypo-spheric vitamin C.

      At this point, I think we need independent studies to confirm these results and see what physiological changes are taking place between the different types of vitamin C. I’m intrigued myself and there is some potential here, but I’d like to read more independent documented research.

      Reply
  9. Simon

    Hi Alex,
    I can see your point and thank you VERY much for the information. Latter is pretty rare, when trying to explain what vit c is and what it might do. However i am stil mighty confused about the intake of ascorbic acid. I found two studies claiming that vit c is bad for humans in certain conditions, and i would REALLY love to debunk those to calm myself :). I know the pointers you gave in your article, but can you have a quick look at those studies and tell me what you think?
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15531665
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11408659

    I guess, again they used a crappy form of vit c? I just like to debunk stuff :).
    Also: can you recommend a german vit c brand which is a little cheaper? (Bonus question 🙂 )

    All the best!Thanks

    Reply
      • Alex Swanson M.S.

        Hi Simon,

        Yes, it is important to look at the details of the vitamin C studies. The outlier studies tend to grab headlines or cause concern even though the evidence from multiple studies point to the contrary. We often find out that they are fundamentally flawed and a meta-analysis is required.

        Regarding the second study you posted about vitamin C as a chemopreventative, I’m not able to dig deeper because I can’t view the whole study. We do know now that vitamin C in the IV form is most effective for cancer. It has been shown to induce the pro-oxidant hydrogen peroxide into cancer cells, similar to the action of chemotherapy but without harming other cells. I explore the mechanism in this article: http://paleoedge.com/supplementation-chemotherapy/. There is often a simplistic view of antioxidant and pro-oxidant reactions in the body, and we are finding that both are necessary for optimal health in balance.

        As far as a German brand of vitamin C, I’m not familiar with what is available to you. I would be happy to review any you are interested in using.

        Reply
        • Simon

          Hi Alex,
          many thanks again for looking into those studies. You were absolutely right, those studies cannot be taken serious. I am glad you could calm my mind :). I am definatly convinced to try out some extra Vitamin C now next to my PHD (Perfecthealthdiet) way of eating. Paul Jaminet advised ,like you, to get some more Vitamin C as a sup.
          I also found out, that it is pretty cheap to order your recommended brands to germany. They are also superiour anyway. If someone else is concerned: I never found information what kind of ascorbic acid is beeing used. Maybe there is no need for specification that wide in europe. Same goes for the usage of maltodextrin, because there is no need for the producers to inform about that either.
          So thank you Alex. I am set :).

          Wish you all the best. Thanks for all the informations. Cheers from germany.

          again :).

          Reply
  10. Linda

    I have been a part of the MAG forum on Facebook, which is spearheaded by Morley Robbins. He advises his thousands of followers to only use whole food vitamin C. He said that using the synthetic vitamin C effects ceruloplasmin negatively. He strongly advises against it. Have you heard of this? And if so, do you think he’s reading the research wrong? If you go do is website that be http://www.gotmat.org you can see that he studies deeply and profoundly before speaking out. He thinks a lot of our issues are iron excess, and he also writes a lot about vitamin, or hormone D, and also advises people not supplement vitamin D or calcium. When I saw that first products you listed and your like of it, I noticed it had calcium in it. So I’m pretty freaked out about supplementing calcium and anything that is not whole food vitamin C after having followed him for quite a while in this group. I have just been diagnosed with ALS, and it seems like nothing I’ve done has halted my decline. I have purposely staid away from high doses of vitamin C and am wondering if I’ve done myself a disservice. Any help you haven’t this apartment would be much appreciated.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Linda,

      I would recommend reviewing the books Ascorbate: The Science of Vitamin C by Dr. Steve Hickey and Dr. Hilary Roberts, and Curing the Incurable by Dr. Levy to make your own conclusions regarding the research of synthetic vitamin C. About 20% of ALS cases are connected to mutations in the SOD1 zinc/copper gene. SOD1 is a major copper-binding protein and regulates copper homeostasis in the cell, and a mutation is believe to affect toxicity. Copper is bound to ceruloplasmin and in mice studies, copper is elevated in the spinal cord from the overexpression of SOD1. If ALS is directly linked to glutamate toxicity, that could occur from copper toxicity. Vitamin C in larger doses would then help chelate excess copper while boosting GABA, the antagonist to glutamate.

      Iron excess and iron deficiency can both be problematic and increase DNA damage. Balance is key. I would say I see more issues today related to high copper levels. I don’t think small amounts of calcium supplementation are an issue, and only potentially can become an issue when very high doses of calcium are used in relation to low doses of magnesium and K2. Magnesium deficiency would be a bigger concern due to its role in protecting against a glutamate-induced calcium influx into cells. Studies have found that calcium concentration in the gray matter of ALS cases was significantly higher than that of controls, likely from elevated glutamate.

      I’m very sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. Let me know if you have any questions.

      Reply
  11. Carolyn O'Brien

    Hi Alex, I just found your website and it is good to ind someone who really researches which supplements are truly helping us. Your articles have answered many of my questions re which supplements to choose. i have a question re my dog ( although I know your focus is on humans) My dog has severe allergies/skin condition itching. Do you think Vitamin C in high doses would help her. I know dogs make their own Vit C but her body has been under stress for a long time due to chronic illness. Could she benefit form Vit C and if so what form would best suit her . regards Carolyn

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Carolyn,

      That is a great question and I wish I could answer it accurately. I’m really not sure if your dog’s allergies and skin condition would benefit from vitamin C IV’s. I think dogs benefit from a lot of things that we do, and there isn’t a placebo effect so you really know when something works! It can’t hurt to try different natural methods.

      Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Carolyn,

      Something I would definitely try is dog prebiotics and probiotics if the skin issues are related to the gut function.

      Reply
  12. Jeff

    Hi Alex,
    I was wondering what you thought of Naturelo’s new vitamin C supplement I saw it was added on Amazon. Should I try it or stick with the C-Salts? I’ve been taking the C-Salts for the last few months based off you having it as the top vitamin c supplement =)

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Jeff,

      It looks like they are using L-ascorbate and acerola, but their explanation says 500mg from acerola cherries. I wonder how much of the L-ascorbate is included because the acerola vitamin C will deplete rapidly. You are still better off with the C-salts in my opinion due to a better stability.

      Reply
      • Jeff

        Ok thanks I’ll stick with the C-salts

        Reply
  13. Kelly McKinsey

    What are your thoughts on Shaklee’s Vitamin C?

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Kelly,

      I think it is a quality product.

      Reply
  14. john

    Ho what you think of “Pure Radiance C” from Synergy Company?

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi John,

      Sorry for the late reply. We have been transitioning to a new website.

      Based on lab results that I have seen, whole food vitamin C products like Pure Radiance C degrade quite a bit. Since this is only 120mg to begin with, the final total is likely much lower. Synergy is a company I’ve reached out to for testing after a month or two on the shelf, but I still haven’t heard back.

      Reply
  15. Hunter

    https://joshmitteldorf.scienceblog.com/2012/11/19/anti-oxidants-a-disappointment-or-worse

    Greeting’s Alex i encountered this blog tonight & hopefully linked it successfully. I’m hoping you can do you best Benedict Cumberbatch ( Sherlock ) imitation and let your Followers know if what Dr. Matthias Rath is putting forth is true. Towards the end of Blog …… a gentleman named Jerry Collins has 3 very in depth comments. He refers to Dr Rath’s studies & premise. He has his own line of Supplements as well for you to investigate.

    Reply
  16. Sean Lee

    Hello Alex! Learning so much from your information.
    I saw information from your pre-natal vitamin article that recommended dose is about 4-500mg including diet.

    I was gonna buy the C-salt buffer vitamin C product you recommended form this article, but realized that it’s megadose Vit C. Is it safe to take it for my wife trying to get pregnant and through pregnancy??

    Or should i stick with the second one from Thorne?

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Sean,

      You can always dose the powder lower. But yes, I would recommend the Thorne capsules for your wife to give a more moderate dose if her prenatal does not supply enough vitamin C.

      Reply
      • sean lee

        I see. Thank you so much for your quick response!

        Reply
  17. Alysen Chappell

    Alex, thank you for your very informative, pretty-easy-to-understand explanations. Could you please clarify this discrepancy (if it is one)?

    I’ve read in both your Multivitamins and this article that optimally, Vit. C should be in the form of L-ascorbic acid. And under each recommended product above you state that most are L-ascorbic…. however reading the above-listed products’ Nutrition Facts labels (on Amazon link) I’ve seen that #2 and #3 say Vit C (as ascorbic acid); #3 says Quali-C (as ascorbic acid); #6 says Vit. C from berries. None of these four state L-ascorbic acid. It seems important to me that they list this on their labels if it is indeed much better for us to use L-ascorbic acid.
    Thanks in advance for your clarification.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Alysen,

      Great question. For some reason, some companies still list vitamin C as ascorbic acid even though they are using 100% L-ascorbate. I’ve called to verify that each company listed is, in fact, using L-ascorbate.

      Reply
  18. Alysen

    Thank you Alex, I assumed you had verified before writing the article. We, as regular consumers, don’t know .. which is why your thorough info here is so helpful. I’m now ONLY using your recommendations.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Alysen,

      Thank you for the kind words and support. That is exactly why I write these articles!

      Reply
  19. Eugene

    ? Vit c and kidney stones

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Eugene,

      According to Dr. Steve Hickey and Dr. Hilary Roberts in the book Ascorbate, vitamin C does not cause kidney stones and has even been proposed as a treatment for kidney stones. Two large studies are cited in the book for both men and women, showing no evidence that small or large doses of vitamin C increased the risk of kidney stones.

      Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi James,

      The amount your body can absorb at one time peaks around 1200mg. So yes, I would say 1,000mg 3x a day is ideal. Following that regime is a little hard for most people, so 1500mg 2x a day is easier to maintain.

      Reply
  20. James

    Still looking into this, and as you note, its been really hard one to research. Life Extension Foundation recommends 1g daily for immune system, but hard to find anyone else mainstream who is on board with even this, just a small minority. Most of the FUD around this vitamin seems to have worked, if it is FUD.

    Livestrong.com specifically has 2 articles saying 2g+ is a high dose and can potentially cause

    -greater risk of kidney stones

    -birth defects/miscarriage – maybe some truth to this one. However doses of 750mg has good evidence for helping pregnancy/progesterone.

    -atherosclerosis – only found 1 study saying this, seems to be an outlier.

    -excessive iron absorption – hate seeing this one mentioned, all men have to worry about excessive iron build up at some point without blood donations or curcumin. On the flip side, my son is iron deficient and it is recommended.

    -B-12 deficiency – doesnt appear much to it.

    -erosion of enamel – maybe from chewables? didnt bother to check into it much.

    https://www.livestrong.com/article/499159-disadvantages-of-vitamin-c/

    If you want to stay under the Mayo clinics max of 2g, Solaray has a product that time releases 500mg pills over 12 hours, Im going to try taking this 3 times a day with meals.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi James,

      Many articles on the internet, especially from Livestrong which just collects it all in one place, are really are not good resources for vitamin C research. I would highly recommend reading Ascorbate by Dr. Steve Hickey and Dr. Hilary Roberts, which addresses many of these questions and provides robust research studies.

      Reply
      • James

        In general, the pro vitamin C guys do appear to have the better argument, I just wish there was a little more consensus.

        The stuff is flushed out so quickly with a 30 minute half-life, if you arent taking it every 2 hours or so, does it do any good to take a gram?

        Maybe our cells only need more C every hour, or 2 hours, or 6 hours, or 12 hours? Optimally speaking that is, obviously people are surviving on avg with 200mg a day or less, but with a better dosage things like CHD might not exist.

        Our ability to absorb more during times of stress would also indicate some part of body really likes the stuff, but what is really happening?

        Im already taking type 2 collagen every 2 hours or so and the mfg recommends taking it with C so I am setup to do this dynamic flow thing.

        Too bad 500mgs doesnt price down so well for Drs best, 1000mg pill is only a dollar more.

        Reply
        • Alex Swanson M.S.

          Hi James,

          Great questions. Vitamin C dosing is one of those topics that seems to defy the logic applied to most other nutrients. The argument that makes the most sense to me is that we are bombarded by pollution and chemicals on a daily basis in an amount never seen before in history. Vitamin C is one of the major nutrients that help neutralize these toxins through the glutathione and SOD pathways and therefore is constantly used up in large amounts. Compound that with chronic stress levels in many people today that increase the adrenal glands need for vitamin C. Now, factor in individual genetic SNP’s that alter the requirements for vitamin C person to person. From my own clinical experience, I have seen this variation go from 500mg to 6,000mg depending on the person to get the same desired effect.

          Reply
  21. Scott

    Have you any opinion on the Carnivore Diet and its supporters like Paul Saladino, MD; Shawn Baker, MD; Georgia Ede, MD; or others?

    Following are some short audio clips of Dr. Saladino.

    https://overcast.fm/+Na3g4Bk4s/34:55 (dietary fiber not helpful for constipation and may contribute to SIBO)

    https://overcast.fm/+Na3g4Bk4s/1:05:35 (we may need LESS Vitamin C than the RDA)

    https://overcast.fm/+Na3g4Bk4s/1:14:40 (polyphenols aren’t helpful)

    https://overcast.fm/+Na3g4Bk4s/1:29:02 (interventional studies show no benefit to vegetables)

    https://overcast.fm/+Na3g4Bk4s/1:35:10 (10-week study with no flavonoids showed LESS oxidative damage)

    https://overcast.fm/+Na3g4Bk4s/1:38:00 (curcumin inhibits CYP450)

    https://overcast.fm/+Na3g2Ycfw/1:11:32 (no evidence that Blue Zones longevity is due to diet. it’s a concept made up to sell books. longevity is due to favorable genetics.)

    Original interviews, just for reference:

    https://www.peak-human.com/post/part-39-paul-saladino-md-everything-you-thought-you-knew-about-food-might-be-wrong

    https://www.peak-human.com/post/part-40-paul-saladino-md-animal-food-vs-plant-food-the-conclusion

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hey Scott,

      Thank you for the links. I’ve made my way through many of them. This is such a huge topic that it would take me pages to write out all of my thoughts. Do you have any specific questions you would like my opinion on regarding the Carnivore diet?

      Reply
      • Scott

        Hi Alex,

        My sincere apologies for carpet-bombing you with links. : ( I’d just spent four hours listening to those two podcasts on peak-human.com (from which those overcast.fm links were excerpted) and my head was spinning.

        However, even in the throes of my hysteria, I knew it was unreasonable to expect that you could address the individual topics I noted. Really, I was just hoping to get a general reaction from you, if that’s even possible.

        As for specific questions, I have many. But, perhaps a good first question would be something like:

        Are his claims correct, incorrect, somewhere in the middle, or is he possibly making some assumptions or possibly taking some things out-of-context?

        Still a big question, I guess.

        Okay, instead, how about these two?

        1. Is eating a “nose-to-tail” carnivore diet (without any plants) really more nutrient-dense (due to the forms and bioavailability of nutrients) than a mixed diet that includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds?

        2. Are plants really so “toxic” (a word that makes me want to barf) that we need to avoid them? Goitrogens, Lectins, Phytates, Oxalates, FODMAPS, Nightshades, and on and on.

        On the surface, some of these things seem plausible. But, from what I think I understand, many foods (including animal foods) have lectins. And, I’ve read, lectins may even have protective effects. As for the overused sound bite that eating just six uncooked red kidney beans could kill us, the point seems moot, as no one eats raw kidney beans.

        That’s just one component of one topic, but I’ll forgo the many others, as that’s too many directions in which to go.

        Finally, regarding the studies he cites, when it comes to things like no benefit to fiber, the pro-oxidant status of sulforaphane, and the concerns about curcumin blocking the Cytochrome P450 system, again, are these claims true, false, somewhere in the middle, or possible misinterpretations?

        I’m sure HE believes what he’s saying, but most people are biased. Everyone can’t be correct. How do regular folks (like me) decide to whom we should listen? How do experts like you parse this stuff and make sense of it? Or, short of distraught e-mails like mine, maybe you don’t give this stuff much attention? : ) Perhaps you have the knowledge you need, have things dialed-in, and you’re on autopilot? I wish I could get there.

        If you’re inclined to respond, I’ll take whatever information you feel is worthwhile — even if it doesn’t answer any of my specific questions. I’m happy with short responses, even though they may not provide a lot of detail, as I know that’s time- and space-prohibitive. If you told me the guy had too many birds on his antenna, I’d get the point. I’m trying to form a framework to help me think about this stuff. All responses welcome.

        Thank you, sir.

        Scott

        Reply
        • Alex Swanson M.S.

          Hi Scott,

          I think that is a normal reaction! I try to avoid being brought into the debate of the pros and cons of extreme diets because they tend to become trendy and a marketing strategy, cyclical and temporary. I like to spend my energy elsewhere. Aside from the death of the culinary experience and not getting invited over anymore for dinner to people’s houses, let’s look at the concept of the carnivore diet.

          First off, as you get further north from the equator, more animal foods become available and the fewer plants grow. As you get closer to the equator, the more plant foods become available. I believe that the diet should mimic what the environment provides, meaning everything should be local and seasonal to your climate. This falls in alignment with what we have followed for thousands of years. A nutrigenomic analysis – as we do at Nutrition Genome – helps you determine what parts of the world have made the biggest impact on your genes and your nutritional requirements and sensitivities.

          Second, we have a ton of data and proof of longevity with a variety of diets around the world, all of which include different ratios of animal and plant foods. What we don’t have is long term data of multiple populations around the world following a long-term vegan, keto, or carnivore diets. We have a few examples like the Inuit, where genetic mutations occurred to prevent ketosis. Chris Kresser did an excellent job of outlining the fact that all hunter-gatherer groups had plant foods in their diet. The use of plant foods when animal foods were not available does not automatically negate their benefits.

          Third, we have to be careful not to cherry-pick studies that back up a personal hypothesis, and then deem all contrary research as invalid or incorrect. I appreciate a study that challenges traditional thinking and shakes up old paradigms that may be incorrect. This is how we scientifically move forward, but we also need to be cautious of outliers. Another common misstep in nutritional science is to isolate one compound and label it a villain without understanding the complex synergy of the whole, which happens in both animal and plant food studies. It is a “miss the forest for the trees” approach.

          That all being said, we are metabolically adaptable and survivalists. What these diets may prove is that they could be helpful as therapeutic interventions to help bring balance to an extreme imbalance of the body. But I think that long term, extreme diets can also create extreme imbalances.

          Here are my thoughts on your questions:

          1. Yes, the nutrients in animal foods are more bioavailable than plants, and plants require more preparation to increase bioavailability. This is actually stated in nutrition textbooks, but there has been a plant bias in the United States since the saturated fat/cholesterol hypothesis spun everything upside down. Organ meats are the most nutrient-dense foods, with collagen and choline being a major advantage of animal foods. However, there are unique compounds in plants/fungi that are not found in animal foods that are also highly valuable.

          2. This is where it gets interesting. The term “plant tolerance” varies from person to person, and plants can be both medicinal and toxic. You are correct that lectins/phytates have dual roles. I don’t think you can make broad strokes saying that all plants are bad, but we do have to recognize that some people are better off without some of these plants. Overall, we wouldn’t have made it this far if all plants were that toxic, and there are plenty of healthy, anthropological examples to back it up.

          I do think preparation like soaking, sprouting and fermentation is key for many plants to increase the bioavailability of nutrients and decrease potentially harmful compounds in excess. This has been practiced for thousands of years, got lost in the age of mass production, and has been making a comeback. I think wheat did a lot of epigenetic damage when long-fermentation sourdough bread was swapped for fast-rising yeast in the 20th century.

          3. Regarding the P-450 system, it really isn’t as simple as “inhibit bad, not inhibit, good.” So we need to understand the context of which liver enzyme is being discussed and what is occurring with inhibition. For example, CYP1A2 is a liver enzyme involved in the metabolic activity of carcinogenic heterocyclic amines. Genetically, people have different metabolic rates of this enzyme, changing the way people metabolize caffeine for example.

          Heterocyclic amines are created by high heat reacting with the proteins when you BBQ or pan-fry a steak. Researchers have found that inhibiting CYP1A2 helps prevent carcinogenic activation of CYP1A2. What inhibits CYP1A2? Xanthohumol from hops in beer, yeast in fermented drinks, cruciferous vegetables, berries, parsley, and spinach to name a few. So you could argue that pairing the steak with these plant foods is healthier than isolating the steak.

          I do agree that in most cases, we shouldn’t be isolating and forcing our p-450 system to metabolize large amounts of compounds that are naturally packaged in small amounts and are hard to absorb for a reason. Small hormetic doses are more likely the correct way to use them.

          I couldn’t find any other way of giving you a thorough answer, so this turned into quite a long response. My advice is to remain objective, and as Bruce Lee said: “Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own.” It is ultimately what is best for your body.

          Reply
  22. Scott

    Wow, Alex, what a great response! Thanks for providing such detailed insight. I sincerely appreciate your investment of time and energy.

    So, with regard to the following comment:

    “Heterocyclic amines are created by high heat reacting with the proteins when you BBQ or pan-fry a steak. Researchers have found that inhibiting CYP1A2 helps prevent carcinogenic activation of CYP1A2. What inhibits CYP1A2? Xanthohumol from hops in beer…”

    My takeaway is to have a steak and a beer and take it easy. 🙂

    Kidding aside, you make a lot of sense in your reply. I need to zoom out and take a bigger view…and, employ some common sense with all the latest fad claims. As you noted, if plants were so “toxic,” we wouldn’t be here to talk about it.

    Maybe a 30-day “detox” (haha) from reading health blogs and listening to health podcasts would be good for me.

    Again, many thanks for your generosity!

    Best wishes,
    Scott

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Scott,

      Haha, that is EXACTLY what I mean. Anytime, enjoy your detox.

      Reply
  23. dylan

    Hello, I recent read an article on Vitamin C as a way to boost your immunity, which is more important than ever with the coronavirus threatening all of us. A few questions.
    1. What is the most effective way to take your vitamin C, and in what form? Powder or tablet? And 3 times per day? Do you agree that people need at least 3000 to 5000 grams per day to ward off infections?
    2. Have you changed your thinking on Liposomal vitamin C? A video I just saw from Dr. Russell Jaffe of Perque says that Liposomal only has about 1/3 absorption whereas l-ascorbate that is buffered and fully reduced is far superior. Do you agree? Is a purer form such as what Perque and C-Salts produce more effective than Liposomal? Any downside to Liposomal?
    Thanks for your help.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Dylan,

      Great questions.

      1. I think that capsules or powder is going to be effective, it just depends on preference. General guidelines are to take vitamin C twice a day as a maintenance dose, then increased to three times a day (or by the hour) during any indication of a viral infection. I agree with the research that shows that a reservoir should be kept full to help ward off infection throughout the day. I think it is debatable and unique to each person on for what the ideal target dose is based on many factors. A Vitamin C IV, however, appears to be more promising during a more aggressive COVID-19 viral infection for higher dosing.

      The way I have seen the difference between buffered and regular ascorbic acid explained is that with smaller doses, buffered vs. isolated ascorbic acid has similar effects. With larger doses, ascorbic acid has two antioxidant electrons to sodium ascorbate’s one, and therefore ascorbic acid is twice as effective. I’ve also seen data absorption charts that support this.

      2. What’s challenging is that you will get a different answer for vitamin C based on who is selling it. Unless there is independently published evidence behind any of those claims, I would be skeptical.

      Dr. Steve Hickey has said that liposomal is a little more efficient and is absorbed by a different mechanism. He claims that isolated ascorbic acid and liposomal can be taken together and may increase levels higher than either one independently.

      Dr. Thomas Levy has stated that oral liposome-encapsulated vitamin C appears to have comparable clinical effects to much larger doses of vitamin C given directly intravenously.

      Consumer Labs, an independent testing organization, has said that absorption levels have not been proven to be higher in liposomal vitamin C, and “whether or not it achieves this, and whether this is even a desirable effect, is debatable, based on the current evidence.”

      If you look into the published literature, there isn’t a lot to draw from. They are either too small, funded by a company that sells liposomal vitamin C, or just looked at blood pressure in rats.

      3. Downsides to liposomes? I think they have their place with drug delivery. They are generally regarded as safe, but I wonder about potential downsides to the synthetic component to them. One study mentioned that “due to their nature, liposomes are in fact considered safe nanocarriers. However, the addition of nonphysiological additives can induce chemical modifications that are useful to improve efficacy in drug delivery but potentially toxigenic.” Another study said “there are also shortcomings such as poor scale-up, cost, short shelf life, and in some cases toxicity and off-target effects.

      My current opinion is that fully reduced L-ascorbic acid with flavonoids is the best option or buffered vitamin C for sensitive stomachs.

      Reply
  24. dylan

    P.S. do you agree with this statement: “Because it’s transported and metabolized differently (in phospholipid spheres), lypospheric vitamin C isn’t as effective at increasing serum, and interstitial concentrations like regular vitamin C does which is why it’s best to take both formulations if you decide to supplement with vitamin C.”
    In other words, should one take liposomal vitamin C AND the regular ascorbic acid?

    Reply
  25. hana brand

    Hi

    in a previous response regarding multi vitamin from pure synergy – this was your response:

    They start with a nutrient rich broth and added synthetic vitamins, then use the yeast saccharomyces to metabolize and convert them. I asked if I were to explain these to people could I say “yeast based vitamins with small amounts of whole food blends,” and they said “yes that would be accurate.” So you have to ask the question, are these really whole food vitamins? I think it is misleading for people who think they are just getting blended fruits and vegetables in a capsule. The premium cost really doesn’t seem justified since yeast and synthetic starting material are both pretty cheap.

    but regarding vitamin c you did endorse pure synergy? wouldnt their product be mostly synthetic? just confused? is synthetic vitamin c ok? so what in vitamin c supplements are we told to stay away from?

    I am looking for a wholefood vitamin c – would i be bettter off buying plain camu powder,powder, baobab acai powder etc or the vitamin c wont be so concentrated? whats the benefit over buying vitamin c over natural powders which probably contain natural vitamin c?

    would garden of life be a genuine wholefood vitamin c? any other brands?

    thanks alot

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson

      Hi Hana,

      Yes, in regards to Pure Synergy’s vitamin C product, yes I would recommend this product (it’s on my list on this article) as a whole-food source of vitamin C. For synthetic vitamin C, what you want to avoid is D-isoascorbic acid and instead choose L-ascorbic acid. This typically takes some investigative work by asking the companies because all vitamin C is listed as ascorbic acid. In regards to efficacy, despite what supplement companies market in regards to the superiority of whole-food vitamin C, there isn’t research to support that. What is superior with whole-food vitamin C is the phytonutrients that you get. From a financial and efficacy standpoint of the optimal dosage, you would be better off purchasing a whole food vitamin C product that has been tested after 30 days for stability like PaleoValley because vitamin C is sensitive to light, heat and oxygen.

      Reply
  26. hana brand

    sorry just found this product.

    they describe it as being a vit c complex with cofactors found in foods with vitamin c making it absorbable and more whole.

    https://healthforcesuperfoods.com/product/truly-natural-vitamin-c/

    how would i know if this is really wholefood as synergy pure radiance also claims theirs is a wholefood?

    is there a way to tell?

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson

      Hi Hana,

      If you are looking for a whole-food vitamin C source, it will not state vitamin C (as ascorbic acid) on the label. Some products use ascorbic acid and then add the bioflavonoids, others may add whole food sources like acerola cherry to vitamin C to ascorbic acid, while food-based versions like HealthForce or PaleoValley will only list the food sources of vitamin C.

      Reply

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