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BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and as such is
eliminated fairly quickly from the body. Thus the benefits of taking vitamin C
just once a day are not nearly as pronounced as if taking smaller amounts three
or four times a day. Vitamin C is also available in time-release (sustained-
release) formulations. These come in capsules that contain numerous tiny
pellets of vitamin C coated with various waxes and starches. The thickness of
the coatings varies so that each pellet "bursts" at different times when exposed
to the moisture in the stomach and intestine. Are time-release formulations
superior to regular vitamin C? Dr. E. Cheraskin, MD of the Clayton College of
Natural Health strongly believes so.
Dr. Cheraskin recently conducted a double-blind, crossover study designed to
determine tissue levels of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in 50 healthy volunteers
who were given one capsule a day of either standard vitamin C or one capsule of
time-release vitamin C. Each capsule contained 84.5 mg of vitamin C and was
taken at 8:00 a.m. The tissue levels (on the tongue) were measured at 8:00 a.m.
(after a 12-hour fast [before taking the supplement]), at 11:00 a.m. (after a
15-hour fast, and at 2:00 p.m. (after an 18-hour fast). The results clearly
showed that the time-release formulation was far better absorbed than regular
vitamin C and thus enabled greater amounts of vitamin C to reach the
tissues.
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