Vitamin C and fat loss

Ascrobic acid is one of the most widely used dietary supplements, which started to gain popularity in the mid-1970s with the publication of Linus Pauling’s book Vitamin C and the Common Cold³⁹ and has remained popular ever since.^{13, 21, 37}

In addition to its immune-supporting effects, ascorbic acid is known to be beneficial in many foods, but few people know that it also plays an important role in weight control.³⁷ Related research has shown an inverse relationship between Vitamin C status and body weight, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio.^{5, 31, 33, 35}

How can Vitamin C help us? The main physiological mechanisms are:

• Vitamin C is essential for the production of L-carnitine, a critical player in fat oxidation.
• Vitamin C imporves general hand well-being and physical activity.
• Vitamin C is involved in regulating the production and/or activity of some of our hormones that play an important role in the regulation of fat loss and/or fat storage.

INCREASES FAT UTILISATION AS A CO-FACTOR IN CARNITINE SYNTHESIS

Vitamin C is an essential co-factor for the production of L-carnitine. Fat oxidation within the body, the use of fatty acids for energy production, takes place in the energy-producing „furnaces” of the cells, the so-called mitochondia. The primary role of carnitine is to deliver fatty acids to the mitochondria where they can be ˝burned˝.  Related research has demonstrated a strong link between Vitamin C intake and carnitine levels. Since the oxidation of fatty acids is a carnitine-dependent process, this is one of the key points where Vitamin C plays an important role in the regulation of fat loss.^{29, 24, 30, 31, 32, 45}

IMPROVES THE WILLINGNESS TO TRAIN

Inadequate intake of key nutrients such as Vitamin C can have a major impact not only on our mental performance but also on our mental performance and general well-being. The physical symptoms of vitamin C deficiency disease, scruvy, are prevented by symptoms such as increased fatigue and increased irritability^{6, 7, 34}. Related research has shown that Vitamin C supplementation can effectively reduce fatigue, delay fatigue during exercise, reduce the frequency of skipping exercise and improve well-being. Vitamin C thus plays a key role int the production and maintenance of healthy physical activity, especially in obese individuals^{6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 32, 36}.

IMPROVED BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL

Insulin plays a critical role in weight regulation^{4, 8}. Insulin resistance, a condition in which the sensitivity and response of cells to insulin is different from that of healthy cells, is the source of many health problems, the ˝precusor˝ of type 2 diabetes, the catalyst of obesity and especially of the most disadvantageous type in terms of health risk factors, central obesity. It also makes it difficult to control our appetite, as insulin, as a neuropeptide, plays an important role in regulating satiety and hunger^{2, 12, 19, 20, 25, 47, 41, 42, 48}.

As obesity is becoming an epidemic, insulin resistance is receiving increasing attention. And the effect of Vitamin C in improving cellular sensitivity to insulin has been targeted and demonstrated in recent years by numerous studies^{16, 17, 18, 30, 46, 48}.

Data from the EPIC-Norfolk study show that plasma Vitamin C levels and the so-called ˝Vitamin C insulin˝response to insulin induction are significantly different. HbA1c (haemoglobin A1c, a prominent marker of insulin resistance), with low vitamin C levels being associated with higher HbA1c levels and vice versa^{16, 44, 48}.

Related research has also shown that chronic low-level inflammatory processes and elevated oxidative stress play a role in the development of insulin resistance. And Vitamin C plays a key role in our body’s antioxidant system and in the regulation of inflammatory processes, making it critical in preventing the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes^{16, 44, 48}.

HELPS COUNTERACT THE FAT-STORING EFFECTS OF STRESS

Cortisol is a so-called glucocorticoid, being one of our primary hormones involved in the fight-or-flight mechanism of stress response regulation. Cortisol is essential for the healthy functioning and survival of our bodies, but chronically elevated levels are have a number of negative health effects, including increasing fat storage^{1, 18, 27}.

Related research has shown that Vitamin C plays an important role in the body’s secretion od glucocorticoid, particularly in situations of high stress^{3, 18, 38, 40}. Data from a related study showed that 1500 mg of Vitamin C supplementation resulted in significantly lower post-race cortisol levels in ultramarathon runners than in subjects who did not receive supplementation or who received only 500 mg of supplementation⁴⁰.

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