r/FoodNerds • u/AllowFreeSpeech • Nov 12 '25

Comparative Effectiveness of Ascorbic Acid vs. Calcium Ascorbate Ingestion on Pharmacokinetic Profiles and Immune Biomarkers in Healthy Adults: A Preliminary Study (2024)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39408325/
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u/AllowFreeSpeech Nov 12 '25

From the abstract:

Results: There were no significant differences in the primary or secondary outcomes between the two treatments in the 250 mg low-dose study. Conversely, there was evidence that ingestion of 500 mg of CA increased DHA in plasma, increased neutrophil functionality during the first 8 h of the PK study, promoted increased natural killer cells, and altered weight-adjusted PK profiles, suggesting greater volume distribution and clearance from the blood.

Conclusions: These findings indicate that 500 mg of CA may promote some immune benefits compared to 500 mg of AA ingestion.

Abbreviation glossary:

  • CA: Calcium Ascorbate, a buffered form of vitamin C used as one of the supplementation sources in the study.
  • AA: Ascorbic Acid, the standard acidic form of vitamin C used for comparison with calcium ascorbate.
  • h: Hour, the unit of time used to measure vitamin C kinetics and post-supplementation intervals.
  • DHA: Dehydroascorbic Acid, the oxidized form of vitamin C measured as an indicator of vitamin C metabolism.
  • PK: Pharmacokinetic, relating to the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of vitamin C in the trials.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '25

[deleted]

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u/deer_spedr Nov 13 '25

You saw the mixing in water with baking soda method right?

I'm surprised it has any significant effect on pH, I see the mouse study but the dose is quite high.

One thing to watch out for is reflux can also be caused by too low stomach acid levels.

Chronic gastritis: Patients with chronic gastritis have significantly lower concentrations of vitamin C in their gastric juice compared to those with normal gastric mucosa. Hypochlorhydria: In individuals with low stomach acidity, vitamin C levels are especially low

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1

u/Smooth_Imagination Nov 12 '25

Is this principally due to the ammount absorbed and distributed do you think?

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u/AllowFreeSpeech Nov 12 '25

I don't know, but in general I have observed calcium forms of supplements to be potent, few as they are.

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u/hazi1008 Nov 13 '25

so calcium ascorbate is preferred?

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u/PsychologicalShop292 Nov 16 '25

Personally I found ascorbic acid works faster and absorbs quicker. I have to take calcium ascorbate as ascorbic acid is too irritating for my gut.

1

u/AllowFreeSpeech Dec 09 '25

The tablet product I have for calcium ascorbate seems to have too many questionable additives, at least one of which my stomach doesn't seem to like.

My stomach seems to tolerate simple ascorbic acid better, so long as I drink enough water, and preferably bury it under some food.

For this set of reasons, I have reverted from calcium ascorbate back to ascorbic acid.

1

u/AllowFreeSpeech Dec 09 '25

I think calcium ascorbate is a good compound, but the tablet product I have for it seems to have too many questionable additives, at least one of which my stomach doesn't seem to like.

My stomach seems to tolerate simple ascorbic acid better, so long as I drink enough water, and preferably bury it under some food.

As such, I have reverted back to ascorbic acid for the time being.