ESTER C - NOT ALL VITAMIN C'S ARE CREATED EQUAL

Vitamin C isn’t stored in the body long term, making daily intake important throughout the year for normal cell function, growth and development. 

As an antioxidant, vitamin C neutralises free radicals, preventing damage to cells which contributes to chronic health conditions. (1) Free radicals are caused by pollution, cigarette smoke, a poor diet, alcohol and strenuous exercise but are also natural by-products of everyday chemical reactions in the body. 

Vitamin C keeps our energy levels up, with supplements proven to reduce tiredness and fatigue. 

Vitamin C is vital for normal collagen formation. Collagen is the main structural protein in our bodies and acts as a building block for healthy joint cartilage, bones, teeth, gums, skin and blood vessels. 

Vitamin C is important for normal psychological and nervous system function due to its role in the formation of neurotransmitters, the brain’s chemical messengers. 

Eating vitamin C-rich food or taking a supplement will lead to better ability to absorb iron in food or supplements.   
  

Are you getting enough vitamin C? Humans can’t make vitamin C, so we need to get all we need from food or supplements. Foods rich in vitamin C include fruit and vegetables, such as citrus, kiwis, mangoes, tomatoes, peppers and broccoli. While we all know that we’re supposed to get our 5-a-day as an absolute minimum, fewer than 1 in 4 adults in the UK is reaching this target. Vitamin C levels in food are also depleted by storage and cooking. Buying fresh and local or frozen fruit and vegetables is a smart choice.

Some of us need more vitamin C than others: smokers, pregnant women, strenuous exercisers, the young and the old and those suffering from chronic health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. If you have any of these conditions or don’t eat at least 5 fresh/frozen, minimally processed fruit and veg daily, including vitamin C-rich choices, you may be lacking vitamin C.  

You’re more tired than usual, getting every cold that’s going around; your gums are inflamed or you have unexplained muscle or joint aches; your wounds heal slowly or your skin is dry and bumpy. Does this sound like you? Read on …

Supplements are an excellent way of topping up vitamin C levels in the body, but many vitamin C products are either not well absorbed, or quickly flushed from the body.  

… a highly absorbable, non-acidic form of vitamin C which is scientifically proven to have unprecedented uptake and retention in immune cells, in a convenient 1-a-day dose. (2-4) It is the vitamin C of choice for anyone serious about achieving high, sustained cellular vitamin C levels cost-effectively and without gastrointestinal side effects. (5, 6)

Ester-C is made by reacting vitamin C with calcium in a chemical-free, water-based process. This creates calcium ascorbate and vitamin C metabolites (other products formed during the reaction). The calcium ascorbate delivers all the benefits of standard vitamin C; however, the vitamin C metabolites are what make Ester-C truly special. 

The vitamin C metabolites encourage vitamin C uptake into cells, especially white blood cells, the ‘soldiers’ of the immune system. In fact, Ester-C has 10 times greater white blood cell bioavailability. This means that you’d have to take 10 times more standard vitamin C than Ester-C to achieve the same vitamin C level in your cells. (2-3) 

Once absorbed, unless we are able to retain vitamin C in our cells, it won’t be able to deliver benefits. Ester-C has been scientifically proven to remain at high levels in cells for 24 hours! While other vitamin C products are quickly flushed from the body, needing continuous ‘topping up’, 1-a-day is all you’ll need with Ester-C. (4) Taking Ester-C on a daily basis has even been shown to offer significant protect against the common cold. (5)  

Most products on the market are standard vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid. They’re cheaper, but they could be money down the drain and hard to stomach.

Standard vitamin C is absorbed fairly well in small doses, 200mg or less. But megadosing leads to a smaller fraction being absorbed, which is quickly flushed from the body. Large doses can also irritate the stomach due to vitamin C’s acidity, causing abdominal cramps, nausea and diarrhoea. Ester-C, however, is pH-neutral and gentle on the stomach. (6, 7) 

Slow-release vitamin C sounds like it would lead to better vitamin C absorption, but clinical trials have shown disappointing results. It’s really not much better than standard vitamin C (8) 

Don’t be fooled by liposomal vitamin C’s price tag – this ‘easy come, easy go’ form of vitamin C is well absorbed but doesn’t stay in the body for much longer than standard vitamin C. (9)