Buffered C 500mg Gentle Vitamin C for sensitive individuals* by Vital Nutrients

Buffered vitamin C is for people who want a gram of vitamin C a day but find plain ascorbic acid hard on the stomach. Intake tends to run low in smokers, in people who eat few fruits and vegetables, and in those with absorption problems, and a low Vitamin C level on testing is the clearest reason to supplement. If you eat several servings of produce a day, you are probably covered by food, and a supplement at this dose adds less than its popularity suggests.

Here the vitamin C is bound to minerals. The label gives the mix as 60% calcium ascorbate, 20% magnesium ascorbate and 20% potassium ascorbate. Mineral ascorbates are less acidic than ascorbic acid, which is what buffered means and why people with sensitive stomachs often tolerate them better. Once absorbed, the vitamin C is the same. The body needs it to make collagen, to support normal immune cell function and to act as an antioxidant, and it improves the absorption of iron from plant foods.

A serving is 2 capsules, which provide 1,000 mg of vitamin C along with 68 mg of calcium, 14 mg of magnesium and 44 mg of potassium from the mineral ascorbates. The bottle holds 110 servings. The label's direction is 2 capsules daily, or as your healthcare professional directs. The body absorbs vitamin C less efficiently as the dose climbs, so splitting the two capsules between morning and evening makes better use of them. Taking them with meals is easiest on the gut.

Vitamin C at a gram a day raises oxalate in the urine, so people who have had calcium oxalate kidney stones, or who have kidney disease, should check with their clinician first. Because vitamin C increases iron absorption, people with hemochromatosis or a high Ferritin should avoid high-dose vitamin C unless their clinician advises it. If you are having chemotherapy or radiation, ask your oncologist before taking antioxidant supplements. The adult upper limit is 2,000 mg a day from all sources; above it, loose stools are the usual result.

A low Vitamin C level corrects within a few weeks of steady intake. Most people feel no different, and that is expected. The evidence that regular vitamin C shortens colds is modest, and it has not been shown to stop people catching them. Compared with plain ascorbic acid, the buffered form delivers the same vitamin; the reason to choose it is stomach comfort. If ascorbic acid has never bothered you, either works.