Vitamin C from Food vs. Ascorbic Acid

Vitamin C is required for collagen, protein, and hormone synthesis (1) and is a potent antioxidant (2). The adrenals and brain are the primary storage sites for vitamin C (3,4). It plays a pivotal role in both the stress response and brain health via cortisol and catecholamine production, respectively (5,6).

New discoveries have highlighted additional nuanced roles of vitamin C in sustaining health and life (7,8). In supporting optimal health, the source of vitamin C might be just as important as adequate intake.
7).

The ascorbic acid shell is where these electrons come from. Thus, nutrition sciences have credited it as the only constituent that matters for vitamin C functionality. But there’s more to the whole food molecule than just ascorbic acid.

Natural vitamin C exists as a complex of multiple molecules. A copper ion sits in the center, surrounded by a tyrosinase enzyme. The rest of the molecule comprises bioflavonoids packaged inside the ascorbic acid shell.

Because the shell donates electrons, science has honed in on this isolated part. Little regard is given to the rest of the complex because, as far as science has yet discovered, it doesn’t have a biologically functional role. But is this the whole truth?

Nature doesn’t waste resources. We wouldn’t find these additional compounds in natural vitamin C if they weren’t needed. They’re there for a reason. Science hasn’t yet connected the dots to make sense of it, but the available evidence supports this notion when compiled.

Absorption of whole C vs. Ascorbic acid

There is a dose-dependent threshold of vitamin C absorption. Once plasma (blood) levels reach 70-85umol/L, no more vitamin C enters the bloodstream from the gut as It’s considered saturated (9).

Complete plasma saturation can be achieved via 200-400mg/day of dietary vitamin C (10).

When taken as ascorbic acids, it takes 500-1000mg/d to reach saturation and confer maximal antioxidant benefits (11, 12).

Research on whole food vitamin c

Only one article has compared the bioavailability of natural vs. synthetic vitamin C. The authors suggest natural vitamin C is more bioavailable in animal models, but humans show similar bioavailability from either form (13). However, a deeper look reveals that these studies are not comparable in design and methods. There are significant discrepancies in the dosages used.

  • The dose of vitamin C used in animals was administered as ‘milligrams per kilogram,’ ranging from 0.5mg/kg/day – 60mg/kg/day.
  • Vitamin C doses In humans were administered as ‘standard milligram amounts,’ ranging from 50-108 mg/day.
  • For the average-sized human, this would only equal 0.5mg/kg/day – 1.6mg/kg/day.
  • The dosage amounts in humans were not even high enough to reach plasma saturation levels.

The review also discusses that when the plasm is fully or nearly saturated, natural vitamin C intake results in higher urinary excretion than synthetic. Indicating that the body uses natural vitamin C more efficiently; thus, it needs a smaller amount to illicit benefits (13).

Many studies from the 1930s have proven that natural vitamin C was superior to synthetic forms (14, 15, 16). A recent study found subjective improvements in mood and vitality after consuming kiwi fruit compared to ascorbic acid supplements (17).

The problem with ascorbic acid

Many studies show adverse effects of ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid supplementation mildly depletes copper and significantly depletes ceruloplasmin, an important copper-dependent enzyme (18, 19, 20, 21). One animal study observed increasing cholesterol levels as copper progressively decreased in response to high-dose ascorbic acid (22).

Supplementing copper 2+ and ascorbic acid at the same time in mice resulted in free radical production via an uptick in the Fenton reaction results from oxidized iron (23). Vitamin C increases iron absorption (24).

Vitamin C and ceruloplasmin keep iron and copper in non-reactive states (Cu1+ and Fe2+) (25). Likely, there wasn’t enough antioxidant capacity to offset the unliganded minerals, as Cu2+ must be converted to Cu1+ in the gut prior to absorption, which requires an electron donor like ascorbic acid (26).

Absence of evidence is not evidence for absence

Consider this:

  1. Nature works in unison, and living organisms have depended on natural resources for vitamins and minerals for millions of years.
  2. Nature doesn’t waste resources. In nature, vitamin C exists as a biologically active complex, not just the ascorbic acid shell.
  3. Humans are of nature. Might we also need vitamin C in its whole, bioactive form for optimal function within our bodies?

Given the data, it would appear that ascorbic acid needs to restore the whole C complex once inside the body. This could explain the reduction in copper and ceruloplasmin that happens with high ascorbic acid doses.

Another noteworthy function of ascorbic acid is that it’s commonly used to reduce dark/sun spots on the skin by inhibiting the tyrosinase enzyme that causes the overproduction of melanin in these spots (27). Tyrosinate is vital for skin pigmentation (28, 29) and a component of the natural vitamin C complex. It may reduce hyperpigmentation by reconstructing the whole C complex.

Science is not asking these questions, so the research does not reflect these concepts yet. But this is how hypotheses are developed – we often have to discover the problem before we find the solution.

What’s the Verdict?

Given the limitations and lack of studies asking these questions, the verdict is technically still out. When the science is questionable, we prefer to side with nature. At Formula IQ, we advocate for whole-food vitamin C. After all, this is the source that humans have depended on for centuries.

Whole-C IQ is vitamin C as nature intended
  • Amla fruit is one of the richest sources of whole-food vitamin C. It’s also an adaptogen.
  • Potassium bicarbonate supports adrenal health and aldosterone balance. The adrenals are a primary storage site for vitamin C, which is used up quickly in times of stress to make cortisol (5). When cortisol levels rise, aldosterone increases, which results in excess potassium excretion in the urine (30).
  • sodium from Celtic sea salt supports the adrenals and enhances vitamin C bioavailability, as two sodium ions are required for absorption (31).