Vitamin C - Forms

Natural vs. Synthetic Vitamin C

 There is no evidence that so-called "natural" Vitamin C is a better form than synthetic Vitamin C - synthetic Vitamin C is equally effective for therapeutic purposes and those formulations of supplemental Vitamin C that claim to be "natural" usually only contain a minimal amount of Vitamin C derived from plant sources with the remainder being synthetic.

 Ascorbic Acid is a generic term for all Vitamin C forms, however it also refers to pure Vitamin C (also known as single entity Ascorbic Acid or L-Ascorbic Acid) that is not bound to any other compound.  Some researchers regard pure Ascorbic Acid as the best form of oral Vitamin C supplementation (with the exception of people prone to Gastrointestinal distress from highly acidic compounds).  Pure Ascorbic Acid is water-soluble (i.e. not fat-soluble) and is therefore unable to “reach” fatty regions of the human body.

 Ascorbin Stearate is a fat-soluble, form of Vitamin C that is sometimes utilized in the commercial processing of foods as an Antioxidant.  It consists of Ascorbic Acid bound to Stearic Acid.

 Ascorbyl Palmitate (also known as 6-Palmitoyl-L-Ascorbic Acid;  Palmitoyl Ascorbate;  Vitamin C Ester) is a fat-soluble form of Vitamin C that consists of 42.8% Ascorbic Acid bound to 57.2% Palmitic Acid.  Structurally, it is Ascorbic Acid with a Palmitic Acid chain attached at the sixth position.  Ascorbyl Palmitate is retained within the body for a longer period of time than water-soluble forms of Vitamin C:

 Ascorbyl Palmitate is more effective than water-soluble Vitamin C for preventing lipid peroxidation and for transporting Ascorbic Acid to the Heart, Brain and Central Nervous System.

 Ascorbyl Palmitate is claimed to be thirty times more effective for preventing some forms of Cancer compared to water-soluble forms of Vitamin C.  Clinical studies support this claim.