Free Video Newsletter

Ancient Wisdom & Modern Science

Learn more ...
3 emails a week
  • 1.866.227.9843
  • About LifeSpa
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Newsletter

John Douillard's LifeSpa

Ancient Wisdom meets Modern ScienceAyurveda + Natural Health News

Menu 
  • HOME Back to front page
  • STORE Health Products
    • SHOP NOWTake me to the store
    • Shop Health TopicTake me to products by health topic
    • Shop Body Type (dosha)Take me to products by body type
      • Take the Body Type Quiz
      • Kapha (Spring)
      • Pitta (Summer)
      • Vata (Fall / Winter)
    • Read the Catalog
  • LEARN Articles & Videos
    • Libraries
      • Videos
      • eBooks
      • Podcasts
      • Recipes
      • Health Quizzes
    • Article Library
      • Recent Articles
      • Browse by Category
      • Article Index A-Z
    • Own It
      • eCourses
      • Books
      • DVDs
    • Events
      • Podcasts
      • Cleanse Events
      • Events & Workshops
  • CLEANSE Ayurvedic Detox
    • Colorado Cleanse – 14-Day, At-Home Digestive Detox and Lymph Cleanse
      • Group Colorado Cleanse
      • Anytime Colorado Cleanse
    • Your Favorite Ayurvedic Cleanse: LifeSpa’s Short Home CleanseFree Instructional eBook
    • Safe Liver and Gallbladder Cleanse
      • Free Instructional eBook
      • Watch the Podcast “Safe Liver Cleansing”
    • 6-Step Lymph Detox Plan
      • Create-Your-Own Lymph Detox Kit
      • Learn More
    • Kaya Kalpa Cleanse
  • CONSULT Ayurvedic Medicine
    • More Information
      • Hours & Location
      • Testimonials
      • New Patient Paperwork
    • Ayurvedic Consultations with Dr. John Douillard, DC, CAPConsultations In-Person, via Phone or via Skype
      • About Dr. John Douillard DC, CAP
    • Ayurveda
      • What is Ayurveda?
You are here: Home / Other Health Topics / Herbs + Supplements / Vitamin C with Full-Spectrum Bioflavonoids: Surprising Benefits

Vitamin C with Full-Spectrum Bioflavonoids: Surprising Benefits

by John Douillard on November 28, 2019 | 1 Comment

In This Article:
Where to Find Vitamin C
The Vitamin C + Bioflavonoid Power Punch!
Did You Know That Collagen Needs Vitamin C?
Vitamin C, Iron + Energy
Vitamin C + Immunity
LifeSpa’s Citrus C with Full-Spectrum Citrus Bioflavonoids

Where to Find Vitamin C

For humans, consuming vitamin C is essential because we cannot make our own, like other mammals do. Therefore, consuming enough vitamin C is a requirement for optimal health. In summer, the abundance of fruits and vegetables makes this pretty easy. But in winter, fresh vitamin C-rich foods are scarce.

While most folks get enough vitamin C to avoid scurvy, which historically plagued sailors and the impoverished, vitamin C deficiencies are still quite common, though on a more subclinical level.

According to Ayurveda, immune-boosting vitamin C and bioflavonoid-rich citrus fruits, along with certain berries (like amalaki) are eaten year-round, but are fall- and winter-harvested to insure protection of the body’s essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins, which calm the nervous system and balance vata in the vata-aggravating winter months.1

We Recommend

How Vitamin C Protects Vitamin E

The Vitamin C + Bioflavonoid Power Punch!

In nature, vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) is never found in isolation, nor is there a vitamin C tree! It is almost always found in synergy with a variety of bioflavonoids, most commonly in citrus fruits. Few of us consume enough citrus to get the vitamin C-citrus-bioflavonoids to deliver the potential benefits natural vitamin C-rich foods have to offer.

Bioflavonoids are commonly used in Europe to support healthy lymphatic function and maintain healthy arteries and optimal blood vessel circulation. In the US, bioflavonoids are used to support tissue and joint comfort, the body’s normal response to inflammation,2-4 respiratory5,6 and eye health,7 and maintenance of cardiovascular health.8-10

In addition, new studies find that citrus bioflavonoids can cross the blood-brain barrier and, in combination with the brain’s unique ability to store vitamin C, support cognitive function and nerve protection in the brain.11

Vitamin C is maintained in relatively high concentrations in the brain; it is essential to maintaining healthy mood and brain function because it facilitates conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine and enhances inter-neuronal nerve-to-nerve communication.23

As cell-signaling agents, bioflavonoids are believed to support healthy cell growth and normal cell-life regulation. They also stimulate detoxification enzymes, decrease vascular cell adhesion molecules, increase vasodilation, and support healthy platelet function.12

With more than 4,000 identified, bioactive bioflavonoids are an exciting area of research, especially in their association with vitamin C. Interestingly, bioflavonoids have also been shown to elicit a positive change in the microbiome, suggesting the gut bacteria’s need for vitamin C and its synergistic bioflavonoid compounds.13,14

Did You Know That Collagen Needs Vitamin C?

We’ve all heard vitamin C is good for the immune system, though perhaps you’ve heard conflicting reports on its effectiveness—so let’s dig into the science.

First, studies have found that when we are under mental, emotional, physical, or chemical stress, such as from smoking, pollution, radiation (like from flying), heavy metal exposure (say from fish), or extreme temperatures, requirements for vitamin C goes up dramatically!15

When we don’t get enough vitamin C, say because you’ve been under stress, one of the first tissues to feel the impact is collagen—yes, the protein that provides elasticity to our skin and joints and youthfulness to our organs.

Collagen is a fundamental component of bones, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, skin, gums, and joints. Ultimately, the health of these tissues depends on vitamin C.

Vitamin C, Iron + Energy

Energy generation from fatty acids is vitamin C-dependent as well, since it is required for synthesis of carnitine, an energy molecule that deliverers long-chain fatty acids (like fish oils and olive oil) into the mitochondria for energy production.23

Olive oil splash image

We Recommend

Dr. John’s Favorite Olive Oil

Vitamin C is also critical for absorption and utilization of iron. Iron deficiency is the number one deficiency in the world, affecting half of school-age girls and 1/3 of menstruating women.

We Recommend

Iron Deficiency? Restore Your Ferritin Reserves

Vitamin C + Immunity

To answer the immunity question, studies have found that vitamin C provides immune stimulation, as immune cells absorb and concentrate vitamin C. Immune cell activity, particularly T-cell function and phagocytosis (or cellular detox), is found to be enhanced by supplementing with vitamin C.20,21 Vitamin C has also been found to provide adrenal support16,18 and is a cofactor for several metabolic enzymes.16-19

Way back in 1972, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 1,000 subjects taking 1,000mg vitamin C per day provided support for use of vitamin C supplementation for common immune challenges. The supplementation group missed significantly fewer days from work/activities and had fewer days per episode of immune challenge; in addition, significantly more subjects taking vitamin C remained symptom-free throughout the study.22

LifeSpa’s Citrus C with Full-Spectrum Citrus Bioflavonoids

LifeSpa’s Citrus C combines high-potency vitamin C with a standardized, full-spectrum, citrus bioflavonoid complex. Full-spectrum indicates that food-based bioflavonoids are delivered with the exact ideal blueprint of constituents, as found in nature.

Citrus C is formulated to provide a one-a-day three-month supply of antioxidant protection, enhanced immune function, and supported synthesis and function of collagen, carnitine, and neurotransmitters. Each capsule provides 500mg high-potency vitamin C and 500mg citrus-bioflavonoid full-spectrum complex in a one-to-one ratio.

Try it and let us know how many sick days you take this winter!

This article originally appeared in Elephant Journal.

Dr. John Douillard, DC, CAP is the author of seven health books (including bestselling Eat Wheat and The 3-Season Diet), seven online courses (including new Yoga Journal course Ayurveda 201 on Ayurvedic Psychology), and numerous free eBooks. He is a former NBA nutritionist and creator of LifeSpa.com—with thousands of free articles, resources, and videos. LifeSpa is a leading wellness resource, with nine million+ YouTube views and over 130k newsletter subscribers.

References

  1. https://lifespa.com/vitamin-c-protects-vitamin-e/
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11680812
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14527825
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12787887
  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15741438
  6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15240993
  7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20663029
  8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23024269
  9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23030447
  10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23167714
  11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22224368
  12. Linus Pauling Institute. Micronutrient Information Center. Flavonoids. http://lpi.oregonstate. edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/flavonoids/. Updated June 2008. Accessed December 10, 2012.
  13. Tripoli E, La Guardia M, Giammanco S, et al. Citrus flavonoids: Molecular structure, biological activity and nutritional properties: A review. Food Chemistry. 2007; 104(2):466- 79.
  14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11121513
  15. Whitney EN, Rolfes SR. Understanding Nutrition. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth; 1998:321.
  16. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin C. http://ods. od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/. Accessed December 10, 2012.
  17. Schlueter AK, Johnston CS. Vitamin C: overview and update. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine (JEBCAM). 2011; 16(1):49-57. http://chp.sagepub.com/content/16/1/49.full.pdf+html. Accessed December 10, 2012.
  18. Linus Pauling Institute. Vitamin C. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminC/. Updated November 2009. Accessed December 10, 2012.
  19. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14498993
  20. Chatterjee M, Dikshit M. Vitamin C mediated resistance to pathogenic invasions: possible implications during infections for better health. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences India. Section B, Biological Sciences. 2009; 79(1):15-25.
  21. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21184650
  22. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5057006
  23. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7816935

Related Articles

micah mortali rewilding
094: Mindful Rewilding with Micah Mortali
lifespa image, man fighting sugar cravings
Stop Sugar Cravings with Gymnema

Cardiovascular Superfruits: Pomegranate + Amalaki (with Recipes)
[icegram campaigns="28226"]

Categories: Diet and Seasonal Eating, Herbs + Supplements, Lymphatic Health Tagged: amalaki, brain health, fat, fish oil, immune health, lymph health, microbes, mood health, video

Comments

  1. annie says

    November 29, 2019 at 10:09 am

    ascorbic acid is very disruptive to copper utilization.

    Reply

Speak Your Mind Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

9 million+ YouTube views
youtube video

Website Search

Store Search

Upcoming Events

lifespa image, silhouette growth heart light beams
Mon 16

Ayurveda 201: Six-Week Psychology eCourse

May 27, 2019 - May 27, 2021
Feb 28

Balancing Weight, Energy + Emotions @ Kripalu

February 28, 2020 - March 1, 2020
Mar 24

Colorado Cleanse

March 24, 2020 - April 6, 2020
john douillard sivananda
May 28

Ayurvedic Longevity @ Sivananda Bahamas

May 28, 2020 - May 31, 2020

View More…

Categories

  • Ayurvedic Beauty + Fitness
  • Circadian + Seasonal Lifestyle
  • Diet + Detox
  • Digestion + Lymph
  • Men + Women + Family Health
  • Mental Health + Mood
  • Other Health Topics

Media

Media-sidebar-button More>>

Sidebar IIN

Social

Inside Lifespa.com

  • 2018 LifeSpa Catalog
  • John in the News
  • New to Ayurvedic Body Types?
  • New to Ayurvedic Herbs?
  • New to the Ayurvedic Diet?
  • New to the Emotions of Ayurveda?
  • What is Ayurveda?

Support

  • Careers
  • Citations Policy
  • LifeSpa Gives Back!
  • Press Kit – Speaking Engagement Info
  • Online Affilate Program
  • Wholesale Partner Program

Contact us

John Douillard’s LifeSpa®
6662 Gunpark Dr E, Suite 102
Boulder, CO 80301

toll free: 1.866.227.9843
main: 303.516.4848
email: [email protected]

Online Scheduler

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of John Douillard. They are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, and they are not intended as medical advice. They are intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of John Douillard and his community. John Douillard encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

lifespa image, Top 50 Natural Health Websites 2013 Award Seal lifespa image, Top 100 Trailblazers in Yoga and Ayurveda
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
Copyright © 2019 John Douillard's LifeSpa
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2019 John Douillard's LifeSpa Top