Lately, the fame of liposomal L-ascorbic acid has kept on developing. Various articles and promoting messages laud its advantages. This new type of L-ascorbic acid would be more powerful than exemplary L-ascorbic acid since it would be vastly improved, assimilated in the digestive system, and utilized by the cells.
It would try to be “as successful as L-ascorbic acid by infusion,” from certain perspectives. Numerous perusers have, like this, requested that I offer a result of this kind in my food supplement research center. There is no great explanation for me to give this sort of fixing because, in actuality, liposomal L-ascorbic acid isn’t more powerful than exemplary L-ascorbic acid!
Today, articles advancing liposomal L-ascorbic acid are undeniably composed by individuals who sell it or have a monetary interest in its deal. Would it be a good idea for us to trust these cases? Would it be a good idea for us to quit purchasing exemplary L-ascorbic acid, and is liposomal L-ascorbic acid better for our well-being?
In this article, we will consider crafted by scientists around this nutrient. L-ascorbic corrosive (the synthetic name of L-ascorbic acid) is a nutrient particle since it is a substance fundamental for the ordinary working of the human body and which the last option can’t blend. Food admission is, hence, important (this is the meaning of a nutrient).
This nutrient is present in soil products but can likewise be found in food supplements. The last option can subsequently enhance the eating regimen and assure great admissions when the eating regimen isn’t ideal. Note again that the L-ascorbic acid in food sources is “exemplary”; it isn’t liposomal.
L-ascorbic acid is associated with various body elements: it advances invulnerable guards against contaminations and is defensive against cardiovascular infections. Its beneficial outcome against hypertension is additionally factual in supplementation. It likewise works with the osmosis and retention of iron.
What Happens When You Ingest Vitamin C?
When you increase your intake of vitamin C orally, for example, with a dietary supplement, it is possible to reach a maximum concentration of the vitamin in the blood at 70–80 µM. This is what researchers from the NIH (National Institutes of Health) in the United States showed in 1996 in a study led by Mark Levine, a world specialist in vitamin C.
It may be interesting to exceed this threshold in certain clinical cases using high-dose intravenous injections. Such injections are carried out in patients undergoing anti-cancer treatments to limit the side effects of chemotherapy.
In healthy people, scientific literature tells us that daily intakes of between 250 and 500 mg per day of vitamin C are sufficient to saturate the blood. Additional intake may be necessary in certain cases: in case of fatigue during a diet, during pregnancy, in smokers, in case of intensive sports practice or certain pathologies. According to the researchers, this plateau is explained by a saturation of vitamin C absorption in the intestine. Up to 500 mg absorption is 100% then it decreases linearly. At 1000 mg, it is 75%. At 2000 mg, it is only 50%.
However, looking more closely at these liposomal vitamin C food supplements, we see that almost all are dosed at 500 mg of vitamin C per capsule. However, as natural vitamin C is already 100% absorbed at this dosage, liposomes are useless! This is just a marketing object! However, one could consider taking more liposomal vitamin C, for example, 4 tablets at once, to swallow 2000 mg and improve absorption. Is it effective in this case? Researchers did the test.
Liposomal Vitamin C Would Be Much Less Effective Than Vitamin C Injections
As we have seen, if L-ascorbic acid is ingested orally with customary enhancements, it is difficult to have more than 70 to 80 µM of ascorbic corrosive in the blood. It is to surpass this immersion limit that liposomal L-ascorbic acid is proposed. Liposomes are tiny, circular vesicles made out of bilayer phospholipids.
Like a cell film, this association allows them to pass the gastrointestinal boundary effortlessly. Liposomes are utilized to convey medicines yet, in addition to food supplements. The target of a liposome is, for instance, to speed up the ingestion of a particle that experiences issues passing the gastrointestinal boundary.
In 2016, a review from Colorado State College driven by Teacher Janelle Davis looked at the retention of 4 g of liposomal L-ascorbic acid to 4 g of infused L-ascorbic acid and 4 g of regular L-ascorbic acid in 11 workers. Following 3 hours, the creators noticed a most extreme plasma grouping of 200 µM. This is an essentially higher worth than can be gotten with L-ascorbic acid alone. It is, hence, deduced positive.
Nonetheless, the estimations additionally uncover that this blood fixation acquired with liposomal L-ascorbic acid remains is much lower than the intravenous qualities (see diagram beneath). So, this is a second lie about liposomal L-ascorbic acid: no, it isn’t quite as successful as L-ascorbic acid infusions. The figures indicate that it is even 10 to multiple times less compelling. Introduced by the specialists.
Notwithstanding, the levels tracked down in the blood with liposomal L-ascorbic acid are higher than those acquired with exemplary L-ascorbic acid. This implies that when the portion of L-ascorbic acid utilized is enormous (more noteworthy than 1 g), liposomal L-ascorbic acid is better consumed. But the researchers didn’t stop there and went further in their study. Instead of just looking at the levels in the blood, they asked themselves the most important question: does this better absorption of the vitamin Liposomal C improve the effects of vitamin C on the body? And so perhaps health?
No Difference In health Between Liposomal Vitamin C And Classic Vitamin C
To find out, the researchers induced a small ischemia (blockage of blood circulation) for 20 minutes using a cuff at a pressure of 200 mmHg. This poor blood circulation suffocates the tissues and creates oxidative stress. And since vitamin C is an antioxidant, they wanted to see if free radicals were better neutralized with liposomal vitamin C.
To do this, they used the TBARS test, which measures oxidative damage. In the graph below published by the researchers, we see that at the start of the experiment, all the volunteers had comparable levels of oxidative stress. After 3 hours, the researchers induced ischemia with the cuff, which caused oxidative stress in the placebo group (curve in closed circles).
In the groups receiving vitamin C, this peroxidation is blocked regardless of the type of vitamin C used: liposomal vitamin C does not provide any more benefits than classic vitamin C in protecting against oxidative stress generated by ischemia. Therefore, the study’s authors conclude that: “no beneficial effect on oxidative stress induced by ischemia-reperfusion was observed on lipid peroxidation [with liposomal vitamin C ] compared to the non-dose. Encapsulated vitamin C (classic vitamin C). »
Note that this study on liposomal vitamin C is often cited in advertising articles to promote this vitamin but always partially: we are told of the “better absorption” but never of the researchers’ conclusion and the absence of a superior effect. about health… On average, liposomal vitamin C is 2.5 times more expensive than classic vitamin C! Even though it is not more effective for health. Worse, liposomal technology is unnatural, and chemical additives are necessary to manufacture this product.
Chemical Additives Hidden In Liposomal Vitamin C
There are many methods for manufacturing liposomes. When it is necessary to encapsulate a hydrophilic molecule like vitamin C, laboratories often use emulsifiers, such as sunflower or soy lecithin. Emulsifiers allow hydrophilic compounds and lipids to be mixed in an emulsion. For example, soy lecithin contains different phospholipids, including phosphatidylcholine.
In water, phosphatidylcholine molecules form a bilayer that folds circularly to give vesicles: liposomes. Soy lecithin is considered a safe food additive. The lecithin extraction process may require solvents that may end up in the final product. Among these solvents is hexane, known for its toxic effects. It is also possible that lecithin comes from GMO soy.
But other more problematic emulsifiers can also be used in these liposomes without mentioning this because the sellers are not obliged to do so. We can cite polysorbate 80 or sucrose esters of fatty acids (in this case we can also speak of sucrosomes) called E473; se consumption is discouraged, including by conservative associations such as Que Choisir.
Does Liposomal Vitamin C Stay In The Blood Longer?
Finally, a final argument in these advertisements is that liposomal vitamin C is better because it will stay longer in the blood. This is a pseudo-scientific claim since no study has tested this hypothesis with liposomal vitamin C. However, the hypothesis was tested with vitamin C by injection.
In this study, NIH researchers compared the effect of 200 mg or 1250 mg of vitamin C in volunteers, administered orally or intravenously. They monitored the concentration of vitamin C in the blood after helping it (see figure below). The black circles represent injections, and the white circles represent the oral route. We see that even if absorption via injections is much higher, vitamin C no longer stays in the blood.
What Vitamin C Should You Buy?
Before wondering which vitamin C to buy, the question is how much per day you need for optimal health. The most experienced group of experts on this issue is that of the Linus Pauling Institute (University of Oregon, USA). This institute has taken up and continues the work initiated by Linus Pauling himself on vitamin C and vitamins in general.
According to Professor Balz Frei, who heads the institute, the optimum daily requirement for the general population is around 400 mg daily. This dose represents the sum of food intake and dietary supplement intake. However, a normal, balanced diet provides up to 200 mg of vitamin C daily. A daily intake (every day, all year round) of 200 to 250 mg is optimal.
This dose is easily found in most multivitamin supplements. Therefore, it is unnecessary to purchase a vitamin C food supplement additionally. According to the researchers, these doses will naturally saturate the blood with vitamin C and obtain benefits such as reducing risk. Cardiovascular. If your diet is unbalanced or you have higher needs (smoking, intensive sport, etc.), I recommend quality vitamin C without additives from a trusted laboratory.