Vitamin C - Every day or for transitions?

[Adam Steer]

Hi Everyone,

Recently, I added a vitamin C supplement to help me through a transition. I am wondering if this is something that should be used on a daily basis, or only need be done when we are pushing ourselves or making a big change?

Thanks for any advice.

Adam

[Kathryn Woodall]

Adam,

While I will give you my opinion regarding your question, I know that there are others out there.

In my office, I have new patients who present after years of consuming vit C supps on a regular basis. In genereal, they started with a small dose which helped with an illness, etc., and they decided to keep taking it. If a little is good, a lot must be better. So they increase the amount and continue. They may even do a little investigation, read some research, and determine that they really do want all of the benefits of vit C. These patients are doing something that they believe to be good for them because they truly care about their health. However, when they present to me, they are demonstrating symptoms consistent with a low level deficiency of C.

IMO, the reason for this is that what is marketed as vit C is almost always ascorbic acid. That is all that is required to be called vit C because when the gentleman first presented his research he said that the ascorbic acid was the most vital part of C. Later, he realized his error and tried in vain to get it changed. It is true that without the antioxidant properties of ascorbic acid the rest of the C will denature and not be useful. But by itself it is not the part which gets the results we all hear about C providing. It is said that to have the components together which would be "the whole enchilada" and have the tablet contain 500 mg of ascorbic acid, the tablet would be the size of a golf ball.

Do people get results taking ascorbic acid? Yes. Our bodies are wonderful at doing what they can to make the best of what we give them. If there is any variety in the diet at all, sometimes the body will use the ascobic acid to aid the full complement of C we obtained in our diet and the benefits can then be achieved. Take too much ascorbic acid and the intestines will flush it out because the imbalance is a poison and that is the preferred route for getting rid of poison we consume. Occasionally, this might not be a bad idea. Chronically, however is another story. I even have a theory that the slight imbalance will activate the immune system to a higher level of alertness so that it isn't that the ascorbic acid provided protection as much as it demanded it. That is as far as I know, just my theory.

I look at nutrition the same as I do at training. I wouldn't do any one exercise all the time over and over and over without evaluating my need to do it and considering the consequences of that move without compensating for it. We are dynamic beings on every level. Therefore, I need to be mindful that what I put in my body should also be dynamic. If I eat oatmeal for breakfast every morning (which I don't) then my body will consistently have the nutrients from oatmeal. There are some great nutrients in there. Eating it makes me feel full so that I don't want much else for breakfast and I seem to be able to have a touch more energy than when I wasn't eating grains. But oatmeal may not be all that I need for my metabolic pathways to function at their best given my activities, so eventually, the same food that once provided me with a useful change will now in essence be contributing to a deficiency. One morning I'm out of oatmeal and have to eat a salad with other veggies and chicken breast in it because that is all I have in the house. Oddly, I notice that I feel a little better after that breakfast. Did oatmeal become bad and therefore something to avoid while the new salad is the way to go every morning? Nope, same thing will happen after several meals this way.

We all tend to complicate food and nutrition way too much. Variety of high quality food and a little experimentation with what works best with your body type is truly a great approach. I do use supplements in my practice but I typically use them very specifically and for limited amounts of time (6 weeks to 1-1/2 years). I use them when I want a specific effect to occur or they are needed to compensate for some other aspect of the patient's diet/lifestyle.

So if you are getting a certain result from your supplement, then that is great. But don't expect the result to continue just because you continue that same behavior. High intensity exercise is beneficial too, but if you did it every day you would have serious complications.

[Adam Steer]

Hi Kathryn,

Thanks. Great advice. I am definitely guilty of being a bit repetitive in my eating habits. I generally keep supper quite varied, because I am also cooking for my family, but the rest of the day I tend to eat the same things day in and day out. This is one of my next challenges; search out more variety of healthy foods that meet my requirements.

Thanks again,
Adam

[Charles Long]

If you're taking ascorbic acid, I wouldn't do it for long. A natural source supplement like acerola or camu camu powder is a different as it is a whole food C supplement.

Charles