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Your questions on vitamin C supplements answered What is the best vitamin C supplement? BodyBio liposomal vitamin C is my top pick for the best overall vitamin C supplement: not only is it beloved by experts, the liposomal delivery offers quick and effective absorption, which crucially doesn’t cause any adverse side effects like tummy trouble. You only need to take one a day, and my body felt like it had a pick-me-up every time: I was more energised, with visibly better skin, hair and nail health. Plus, the brand transparency means that while BodyBio isn’t the cheapest, you still feel like you’re getting your money’s worth of a quality product. VitaBiotics’ ultra vitamin C with cinc is another great choice (especially if you want to avoid pill fatigue). This drinkable, effervescent alternative costs a fiver, tastes delicious and is an easy way to ensure to up your vitamin C on those days when your diet isn’t delivering or you’re feeling run down. How I selected the best vitamin C supplements As well as consulting experts in nutrition to narrow down my selection, I considered the following when testing: Immunity: Vitamin C might not prevent colds, but it is thought to lessen their duration and reduce symptom severity. Though I’d already been testing these for several weeks, I ended up with the dreaded “back to school bug” that hits every September, so I got to assess whether some of these supplements had any effect on improving symptoms like weakness and fatigue. Skin health: I noted any skin, hair and nail improvements with these supplements. Easy to take and variety of options: I also judged each vitamin C supplement on how easy it was to take each day, and how enjoyable it felt. “Pill fatigue”, the sense of overwhelm that comes from taking too many supplements or medications each day, is real. Side effects: Vitamin C supplements can cause tummy upset and diarrhoea, especially in higher doses, so I kept track of any undesirable side effects. Cost: The price and whether the product was suited to a range of budgets was also considered. What is vitamin C good for? As well as helping to boost your immunity, scientific research highlights the role vitamin C plays in collagen production for skin, hair, nails, teeth, joints and bones, as well as helping with heart health, offering cognitive and mood benefits and aiding with iron absorption. “The other important place for vitamin C is antioxidant activity,” explains Dr Mayoni Gooneratne, a women’s health functional medicine doctor and founder of Human Health. “We've got chemical processes happening in our body all the time, they make waste byproducts – usually free radicals – that are normally mopped up and got rid of in a safe way, and we've got antioxidant pathways that neutralise those free radicals. Vitamin C is critical to those antioxidant pathways. “These are basic cellular processes; every single cell makes free radicals. These contribute to ageing and chronic disease, so it's really important long term,” she says. What is liposomal vitamin C? While most of us are familiar with standard-delivery, water-soluble ascorbic acid found in powders and capsules, liposomal vitamin C has been gaining traction of late, with studies showing that it’s a more efficient delivery system. This is because the vitamin C is encapsulated in a globule of fat to protect it and help support absorption. “You’re getting the vitamin C to where it’s needed. Sometimes the dosing doesn’t look so spectacular but the absorbency is really, really good,” explains Cook. Since the construction method of the liposomal strongly affects the final product, do your homework when it comes to which brand to choose and read my recommendations above. Vitamin C is a good team player: you’ll often find it working synergistically to prevent oxidative damage alongside another antioxidants such as vitamin E or alpha-lipoic acid, as a dual-action immunity booster when paired with zinc, or to enhance the efficacy of collagen. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews Jennifer Barton is a writer that specialises in health, fitness and wellbeing. She has tested everything from supplements for IBS to adult colouring books for IndyBest. A former ballet dancer (currently training to become a yoga teacher), she has four children and is passionate about researching and testing products, with the advice of experts, to help the public (and the next generation) discern between useful, quality supplements and overpriced products propped up by marketing jargon. The IndyBest team also test a range of health-related supplements including the best multivitamins, best CBD oils to take according to experts, best probiotics, best way to get more B12 and even advice on how to manage menopause. After more expert-recommended supplements? These are the best magnesium supplements, as recommended by experts and editors
