Synthetic isolated vitamin C, such as ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate, are manufactured in a lab, whereas natural vitamin C exists in whole foods such as fruit and vegetables. Synthetic isolated and natural whole food derived vitamin C are chemically identical molecules. However, their "bioavailability" in the human body can differ. Most studies show that natural vitamin C is more readily absorbed than synthetic isolated vitamin C. This is thought to be due to the various macromolecules and micronutrient interactions within natural vitamin C sources, which are not present in synthetic isolate versions.

In short, synthetic isolated vitamin C is less absorbable and less active than natural vitamin C. There are two types of synthetic isolated vitamin C, those that are molecularly identical to their natural counterpart and those that are not; L-ascorbic acid from natural and synthetic sources, as used in supplements, and D-ascorbic acid which is only from synthetic sources.

For example, consuming synthetic isolated vitamin C in large doses and over long periods is thought to cause some side effects such as redness and warm feeling of the skin, headache, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach upset. Stomach upsets may be due to the build-up of d-ascorbate in the intestines as it is not fully absorbed. There are not thought to be the same issues from natural vitamin C consumption.

 

Sodium Ascorbate

Sodium ascorbate is a vitamin C salt primarily manufactured in India or China. Unlike ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate is a version of ascorbic acid blended with mineral salts.

Sodium ascorbate is produced by combining equal amounts of ascorbic acid with sodium bicarbonate in an aqueous solution to create a reaction—the resulting effervescence that results from the buffering process reduces the acidic nature of ascorbic acid. When the reaction stabilizes, isopropanol is added to promote the precipitation of sodium ascorbate.

Unlike ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate contains sodium and should be administered carefully in patients with hypertension, especially when high doses are used and their high blood pressure is poorly controlled. Other side effects include liver enzyme deficiency and insulin resistance. Additionally, high doses of sodium ascorbate may increase kidney stones' risk and the associated risk of kidney damage.

Finally, in patients with hemochromatosis, which causes your body to absorb too much iron from the food you eat, sodium ascorbate might increase iron absorption and contribute to dangerous concentrations in the patient's blood.

Natural Vitamin C

Vitamin C exists in nature as a complex composed of bioactive molecules that work well together to provide therapeutic benefits. However, most synthetic versions are isolated vitamin C, which do not contain these components and cannot deliver the same range of advantages as the natural version.

Natural vitamin C, e.g., from fruits and vegetables, contain numerous nutrients and phytochemicals such as flavonoids, which are potent antioxidants with anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits.

Furthermore, organic sources of natural vitamin C will have a less toxic load on the body. Natural vitamin C is only found in whole foods and whole food based supplements and is supplied not as a single isolated ingredient but as multiple nutrients working synergistically. It is important to seek natural existing alternatives when making choices about what we consume and choose products containing all these additional beneficial nutrients.

Various research studies across the globe show strong evidence of a significant loss of essential nutrients from the food we eat. Fifty years of industrial farming have triggered plant food crops to suffer from major nutrient loss, causing a shortfall in our daily dietary intake. Data obtained from the USDA food composition tables indicated as much as 40.5% loss of vitamin C on some plant food crops.

This reduction in vitamin C level is related to the suggested decline in some commercially grown food crops due to modern agricultural methods. Nutrients can be lost from soil due to synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, poor irrigation, non-adherence to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and GMO farming, to mention a few. Today this leads to the conclusion that we are a well-fed but nutrient-poor society. It would be feasible to say if vitamin C has dramatically decreased in most plant food crops, one could expect a decline in other nutrients.

This could indicate that nutrient intake through nutritional supplementation from natural sources may lack nutrient vaule and may not be the best choice to serve our health needs.

For example, to what extent has pesticide and herbicide been applied to the food crops during the growing process? How many times higher are these levels after processing the plant into powder form for nutritional supplement products? Have the plants been grown for quality or quantity? Are they GMO?

As a well-fed but nutrient-poor society, it is plausible to say natural supplementation from commercially grown plants (fruits and vegetables) is a better choice than synthetic supplementation; however, are they the best choice we can make?

At Kakadu Health, we believe there are better choices. We believe consumers seek to educate themselves and are aware of natural organic supplements and the need to obtain nutrition from the best source of all, wild-harvested organic whole foods.

Wild-harvested whole foods are farmed by nature. They date back millenniums and are grown in a clean, clear unpolluted wilderness environment, unaltered by man.

Most wild-harvested organic whole foods contain many rich nutrients. In the case of Kakadu Plum, it is nature's richest source of vitamin C and contains additional compounds such as vitamin E, zinc, iron, copper, calcium, fiber, and carbohydrates. It also provides bioflavonoids, phenolic compounds, fatty acids (oleic, linoleic, and omega), ellagic and gallic acid antioxidants, and other truly organic nutrients synergistically together, providing a broad spectrum of bioavailable nutrients that benefit our health.