Vitamin C Supplement Benefits & Dosage

Strong immune systems are oh so important to keep us and our family's happy and healthy. As we try to make healthy choices (choosing real foods over processed, getting enough sleep, and developing helpful stress management techniques), there are countless outside factors that end up stressing our immune systems despite our best intentions.

Many people think vitamin c when they want to boost immunity, which is a great start. When our immune systems need a little extra support, adding a vitamin C supplement may be a helpful first line of defense.

Within our bodies the highest levels of vitamin C are found in the white blood cells; the cells of our immune system that help fight disease and infection. These cells use vitamin C to fight infection when our immunity is compromised, which then depletes the levels in our body. This vitamin C up and down cycle is why it’s important to provide our bodies with a continuous supply (more on this below).

For daily life, we recommend supplementing with a small amount (100-200mg) of vitamin C to help get enough vitamin c to prevent infection, though we recommend a higher dose to lessen the severity and duration of an infection. (1) Keep in mind that certain populations tend to need a higher amount of vitamin C supplement intake to reach adequate levels, these include smokers, lactating women, and anyone who exercises heavily or is under high amounts of stress. (2)

Before you grab any vitamin C supplement off the shelves, beware that not all vitamin C supplements are created equal. It’s critical to find a vitamin c supplement made of quality ingredients that is actually absorbable in your body, otherwise what’s the point?

NutriKey Vitamin C Dietary Supplements:

NutriKey Complete C-1000

NutriKey Complete C-1000 is an easily-absorbed, comprehensive vitamin C complex that supports antioxidant status and immune function. What makes Complete C-1000 more than just another vitamin C supplement? It includes additional vitamins and minerals that help combat stomach irritation common in vitamin C supplements. Also, with this specific formulation, the nutrients are more readily available for cell uptake.

Our NutriKey clients have reported that they’re able to take higher amounts of Complete C 1000 withoutthe side effects commonly associated with plain ascorbic acid like above-mentioned stomach irritation and loose stools.

NutriKey Lipsomal C

If you’re someone who prefer oral vitamin c supplements, NutriKey Liposomal C might be just right for you. In short, liposomal technology is a quick way to deliver nutrients to your cells. Liposomes are tiny spherical lipids (fat soluble compounds) which can easily cross through cell walls. This makes Liposomal C an advanced liquid nutritional supplement which delivers pure, easily-absorbed vitamin C into our cells. Skip the liquid orange juice, which is just chock-full of sugar anyway and take a teaspoon of this liquid gold instead.

“Easy to take and digest. Other vit c capsules upset my stomach, but this does not. Tastes sweet too!” ~Diane onNutriKey’s Liposomal C

“This is a wonderful supplement that I find to be a great preventative. I used to have three to five colds per year that were either long term or I never got rid of them. Now...no colds for almost five years....” ~Deborah onNutriKey’s Complete C-1000

How Much Vitamin C Supplementation To Take and When

We want to help our immune system stay strong all day, which means that the dose and timing of your vitamin C supplement is very important to consider. During regular times 1,000 milligrams of a vitamin C supplement daily might suffice to start, but when you are worried you might become sick or are sick, it may be helpful to take a higher amount of 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams of your vitamin C supplement, spread throughout the day.

More on that “spread throughout the day” comment above. Unlike some dietary supplements you can take once per day, it’s important to take your vitamin C supplements throughout the day versus all at once to provide continuoussupport to our immune systems. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning it doesn’t have the ability to be stored in the body, any excess is excreted when you use the bathroom. Maintaining a continuous supply spread throughout the day solves this issue and gives your immune system support all day.

Sources:

(1) Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017;9(11):1211. Published 2017 Nov 3. doi:10.3390/nu9111211

(2) Institute of Medicine (US) Panel on Dietary Antioxidants and Related Compounds. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2000. 5, Vitamin C. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK225480/