Vitamin C is involved in many processes in the body and is a powerful antioxidant. Find out why bodybuilders are actively using it? More than thirty years have passed since Linus Pauling proposed using high dosages of vitamin C to prevent cancer. It should also be said that, according to Pauling, intravenous administration of vitamin C in large doses can also be used as a therapeutic agent against cancer.
Then scientists confirmed that antioxidants, and vitamin C belongs to this group of substances, can inhibit the development of tumors, but this does not happen as previously assumed.
The assumption that antioxidants can stop the development of cancer is primarily based on the fact that they have the ability to take oxygen from free radical molecules, eliminating the possibility of harming human DNA. It was soon found that antioxidants deprive tumors of their ability to grow by creating an oxygen deficiency.
What is Vitamin C?
Ascorbic acid or vitamin C is a natural organic substance with powerful antioxidant properties. In most cases, ascorbic acid is white, although yellow specimens are occasionally found. The substance is highly soluble in water, forming an acidic solution.
In a living organism, vitamin C is an antioxidant, protecting the body from oxidative processes and stress associated with it. It should also be noted that ascorbic acid is a coenzyme in enzymatic reactions. Natural and synthetic substances are completely identical and do not differ.
Ascorbic acid is found in plants, unicellular organisms and animals and can be synthesized from glucose. Animals can synthesize the substance on their own or receive it from food. If in their body there is a large deficiency of vitamin C, then they face death from scurvy. The human body is deprived of the ability to independently produce vitamin C. This is due to the fact that the synthesis reaction requires four components, of which the human body contains only three. The reason for this lies in a mutation with human ancestors that occurred millions of years ago.
Bioavailability of various forms of vitamin C
Today you can find a large number of different preparations containing all kinds of forms of ascorbic acid. Before purchasing them, it is important to know about the bioavailability of each of them. Bioavailability refers to the ability of a substance to accurately enter target tissues after ingestion.
We have already said above that natural and synthetic vitamins C are completely identical. During clinical experiments, differences in their bioavailability could not be found.
In the intestinal tract, ascorbic acid is absorbed through a process of passive diffusion. According to the theory of the assimilation of substances existing today, when the rate of gastric emptying slows down, the process of absorption of the substance should increase. Although the bioavailability of all forms of vitamin C is considered the same (tablets, powder, etc.), in practice the situation is somewhat different.
One study was conducted in which scientists were able to establish that when the vitamin is taken in capsule form, its absorption slows down by about half. This is due to the need to release the active component from the shell. In general, it can be recognized that all forms of ascorbic acid that exist today have the same bioavailability.
It is also necessary to say a few words about the mineral ascorbates of vitamin C. They are salts of ascorbic acid and are characterized by low acidity. For this reason, they are recommended for people with digestive tract disorders. On the other hand, little research has been done to prove that mineral ascorbates are less irritating to the digestive tract.
Today, two types of mineral ascorbates can be found: sodium and calcium. One gram of sodium ascorbate contains 0.111 grams of sodium. This substance will be very beneficial for people who are deficient in this mineral.
In turn, one gram of calcium ascorbate contains 90 to 110 milligrams of calcium. At the same time, the mineral is well absorbed, which makes this type of ascorbate useful in case of a lack of calcium in the body.
In these forms, vitamin C does not have a strong irritant effect on the mouth and stomach. Also when comparing two ascorbates it should be said. That calcium ascorbate is less acidic.
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