New ingredient boosts vitamin C bioavailability: Study

A new a patent-pending vitamin C ingredient delivers a significantly faster rise in blood vitamin C in the first 90 minutes than a than a leading premium vitamin C yet is retained in the body equally well, according to a new study presented to the 2009 American College of Nutrition annual conference in Florida.

Fast-C, developed by Scientific Food Solutions and distributed by ET Horn in partnership as Alkemy Partners, achieves faster entry of vitamin C into the blood while urinary excretion was slightly less, suggesting excellent retention by tissues, according to the study’s authors. Fast-C was compared with a leading vitamin C formulation at a 1000mg single dose.

Nutrition research

The clinical trial was conducted as a double-blind, randomized crossover study at Miami Research Associates, a US-based nutrition research facility monitored by the Food and Drug Administration.

The study set out to compare the relative bioavailability of vitamin C (AA) from Comfort C (later renamed Fast-C but based on the same formulation) with Bioperine and Ester-C in healthy, non-smoking, young males.

It concluded that although there were no differences in the overall absorption between the two products over the four-hour test period, Comfort C displayed a faster rate of absorption than Ester-C.

Fast-C uses the company’s Alkemy; a patent-pending blend of natural alkalizing GRAS minerals. This yields an acid neutralized Vitamin C formulation which is a step ahead of buffered forms of Vitamin C for stomach ease and greater tolerability, claims the company.

Patent-pending

Nutritional bioactive innovation and research company Scientific Food Solutions claims Fast-C uses a “…unique, patent-pending composition that provides a buffered and 90%+ acid neutralized Vitamin C, yielding an easily tolerated formulation that fosters greater compliance and delivers vitamin C with greater speed and excellent retention.”

This is the second US-based double blind, randomized crossover clinical trial on Fast-C.

ET Horn Company distributes raw materials and chemicals for use in coatings, building materials, elastomers, lubrication, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, personal care, and food products.

Scource: Miami Research Associates

Published: Presented to the 2009 American College of Nutrition Annual Conference.

Title: ‘A Clinical Evaluation Comparing the Bioavailability of Two Buffered Vitamin C Supplements in Healthy, Non-smoking Males’

Authors: Kirenia Labiste CRC, Samantha Feldman MS, RD, Diane R. Krieger, M.D, Douglas Kalman PhD.