Pure Vitamin C: C-ing Is Believing. Or Is It?

 

Doctor’s Choice® creates and follows its own strict guidelines, surpassing FDA/Health Canada GMP (good manufacturing practices) guidelines, never compromising on supplement quality.

 

I approach this subject in response to one of my recent trainings concerning vitamin C but first, let’s start with some facts: China makes 95% of the world’s vitamin C and all of it is derived from genetically modified corn. This means that the ascorbic acid component of all vitamin C being sold is this GMO version. I have been in the manufacturing side of health for 36 years and in all that time I have never produced vitamin C, one of the most popular vitamins in the world, because I could not stand behind the quality of the manufacturing process. I managed to track down the only non-GMO vitamin C on the planet and it took me nearly two years to get acknowledged and to sign a contract due to the huge global demand for their product.

Here is the kicker: most major vitamin manufacturers are owned by pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, Nettle, Clorox, Proctor and Gamble, Bayer and others with deep pockets and huge cash flow to market the brands found in your local health food stores or pharmacies. How does an independent family run company compete with these giants? You know the story of David and Goliath—I feel the roar and massive structure before me but the one thing that keeps me going is my integrity and moral consciousness, I carry within five stones for my sling and they spell F.A.I.T.H. So here we are, offering the only non-GMO sourced vitamin C derived from corn grown in Scotland. You would think those buying vitamin C would use common sense but the problem is sense is not too common today as the illusion of marketing has blinded the eyes of so many.

Back to my training on vitamin C: after a 30 minute PowerPoint presentation I was asked how they would sell the product since it was not buffered. (If the person who asked the question is reading this newsletter, I mean you no disrespect; your question was good as it also allowed me the opportunity of explaining the subject more deeply.) If you take an ear of GMO corn and dip it into calcium powder, it may have a buffering agent but the corn is still grown GMO. Corn that is derived from genetically modified sources is highly processed fructose corn and it typically irritates the stomach and bowels. The GMO ascorbic acid becomes more acidic, requiring buffering because of its impurities and may be less nutritious and may be tainted with impurities such as heavy metals.

Does buffered vitamin C offer better bioavailability? Maybe, especially when the ascorbic acid is made from GMO corn. Anecdotal evidence suggests that minerally bound ascorbates are better tolerated than ascorbic acid because of the buffering effect of the mineral but there is no evidence to suggest better bioavailability in one over the other.

What about sodium and calcium ascorbate? These, like other mineral-bound ascorbates, are very similar to other types of ascorbates and offer similar bioavailability. In some cases, it may be important to monitor mineral levels like sodium because inadvertently consumed sodium as sodium ascorbate may be an issue.

What if your stomach is very acidic, how will vitamin C affect this situation? The acidic stomach is not the fault of vitamin C (especially when compared to the stomachs hydrochloric acid) but your diet, lack of digestive enzymes and a good probiotic complex needed for gut health. If the vitamin C is too acidic for you, a little sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)[1] helps to change the acidic content and prevent stomach irritation, or you can simply take the vitamin C with food.

People do not like change, they stick with certain brands. When asked if the vitamins work they say they think so but are not sure and carry on day after day, year after year, taking product that provides their body little or no benefits. Did you know that placebos work in the minds of people? “The researchers discovered that the placebo was 50% as effective as the real drug to reduce pain after a migraine attack.”[2] That same thing holds true to taking most drug store vitamins, even though there is no therapeutic value in what they are taking. Based on the ingredients and fillers they convince themselves that it is working yet a sugar pill would do the same to their mind but it would not help their body. At the end, you get what you pay for. How do you expect quality when you pay less than $5.00 retail for 120 tablets of vitamin C?

There are some things you can look for when choosing your vitamins though. The most direct approach is knowing the raw material grades and that the highest one in the world is United States Pharmacopeia (USP) grade. This attests to the fact that the ingredient conforms to the standards set in the published monographs. These monographs exist for nearly every vitamin or mineral to detail all the specific physical and chemical properties of the ingredients, including the specific testing methods required to ensure the ingredient conforms to USP standards. These monographs are subject to continual revisions in order to label an ingredient as USP grade (lesser grades are food grade and feed grade). Certificates of Analysis should be available upon request to verify the legitimacy of the USP claim.

Doctor’s Choice® Pure Vitamin C – Quali C

Doctor’s Choice® Pure Vitamin C – Quali C is made from the purest vitamin C. It is the best quality, pure and easily absorbed ascorbic acid sourced from certified non-GMO corn and manufactured in Scotland.

  • 100% USP pharmaceutical grade,
  • halal and kosher,
  • vegan,
  • ethically produced,
  • soy free,
  • cruelty free.

Doctor’s Choice® creates and follows its own strict guidelines surpassing FDA/Health Canada GMP (good manufacturing practices) guidelines, never compromising on supplement quality. By choosing Pure Vitamin C – Quali C you can be sure that you are helping boost your body with the best possible ingredients on the planet.

 

References:

[1] Less than a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate can lower stomach acidity. When added to ascorbic acid, the bicarbonate fizzes which then releases the sodium, neutralizing the acidity of the ascorbate.

[2] Harvard Health Publishing. 2021.