Vitamin C – the key to unlocking minerals
One key nutrient in treating Osteopenia/Osteoporosis is vitamin C. There are important reasons for this. Dr. Suzanne Humphries, among others, considers Osteoporosis to be Scurvy of the bones. (3)(5) While some may disagree, this may have much more significance than most give credit for. Some minerals require vitamin C to be activated, absorbed, and/or assimilated. This is why almost every bone supplement product includes it. Without sufficient vitamin C, the cause of Osteoporosis may well indeed be Scurvy of the bones if adequate whole-food vitamin C is lacking.
Although Calcium is important for the bones,(6) it is not necessarily the most important mineral or nutrient,(7) though some would try to make this point. But to get calcium to work, other nutrients are needed, and one is vitamin C. “The relationship between vitamin C and calcium is an important one. Vitamin C can support calcium absorption, but too much can have a detrimental effect on calcium stores. Finding the right balance between this vitamin and mineral can be a step in the right direction for people who want to increase calcium absorption, protect themselves against tissue calcification, prevent diseases, and get the most out of their supplements. Vitamin C can support calcium absorption and can positively affect the way calcium is metabolized in the body.”(8) Because many with Osteoporosis tend to take calcium supplements* (which is not wise or suggested unless one is deficient) and because calcium is important in the diet, the need for vitamin C is crucial. Your bones do need calcium, and vitamin C is required to make it work. But these both need to be obtained from whole-food sources.
*An important note on this is two-fold:
- For many people who take calcium supplements, there is a concern. Significant amounts of vitamin C (and vitamin K2 MK4) intake can help protect against the calcification of soft tissue and add to the solubility of calcium.
- High levels of calcium in the diet can contribute to low stomach acids, so taking extra vitamin C can support the digestion process.” (8) And proper stomach acid levels are important for nutrient absorption.
However, there is a big difference in what some call vitamin C. (9) Any vitamin C supplement needs to be whole-food based, not synthetic. Synthetic vitamin C is not the same as the whole vitamin and should be avoided. Ascorbic Acid is only one of the eight parts that make up whole vitamin C, but unfortunately, synthetic is what is found in most supplements, making it just one of the problems with most supplements for Osteoporosis. (9)(12) If you lack whole-food Vitamin C, many of the other minerals and nutrients needed to treat Osteoporosis effectively will be less effective. You can read more about how much vitamin C and nutrients are needed, as well as other supplements, in “Supplements For Osteoporosis.” A link for that article will be provided later.
The authors of “The Calcium Lie II” had this to say about vitamin C: “Be absolutely sure you have the real C. All ascorbic acid and ascorbates are not C. They are drug-like chemicals that are found in the C molecule. Each piece of this molecule has important effects, some good, and some bad, but the real C has no known bad effects in humans. You die without whole vitamin C. Vitamin C deficiency is scurvy (“the hemorrhagic disease”), something you see commonly in older people who bruise easily. Centrum Silver and Emergen-C are not vitamin C, and neither is store-bought pasteurized orange juice. Most supplement companies lie and misrepresent their products. They will try to sell you the kitchen sink of supplements. It is a lot simpler than that. Please do not be deceived about your C. You want the candy bar, not the wrapper.” (The Calcium Lie by Dr. Robert Thompson and Kathleen Barnes, 2013)
Another warning on synthetic vitamin C from Medical News Today is – “a high intake of vitamin C through supplements, but not from diet, creates oxalate in the blood, leading to an increased risk of kidney stones (as well as binding to minerals leading to nutrient loss). Whole-food vitamin C does not. Synthetic vitamin C may also increase the risk of cardiovascular problems in women after menopause, though no studies have been done to affirm this.” (13) However, other studies on synthetic (ascorbic acid-based) vitamin C have shown it can destroy the gut microbiome, and at least one showed that it can cause the thickening of arteries/blood vessels. C13b There are other negative side effects of taking synthetic ascorbic acids, which you can read about in WHY NOT (SYNTHETIC) ASCORBIC ACID?
Vitamin C is also needed for the synthesis of collagen, which plays a vital role in bone building. (1) We’ll get to this a little later on the collagen page.
Meanwhile, there is something extremely important about vitamin C, whether it’s obtained from food or supplements. Sugar that introduces glucose to the blood hinders the acceptance of vitamin C by the white cells that use it to engulf and flush toxins by 75% for up to six hours. (12) This includes honey, which is about 3 parts glucose, (14) as well as almost all fruit. (15) Certain foods high in sugars or starches that quickly convert to glucose in the blood can have the same effect.
Another matter regarding vitamin C is that even the best organic/wild-crafted vitamin C sold commercially may present issues such as acids that can pull minerals from the bones in what is referred to as “buffering”. We’ll cover more on that under “Acids.” Though the products are far better than synthetic ascorbic acid, most are made with fruits that have some sugars, and perhaps some that include herbs that do not. The best way to ensure you have organic, whole-food vitamin C without sugar is to make your own using this recipe. (B)
An important question you might ask at this point is, where does one find the best sources for Vitamin C? Many foods contain vitamin C. Part of the problem is that many of these foods also have sugar, which we just mentioned, hinders the acceptance of vitamin C. This means that any food with vitamin C and sugar will provide only 25% of its vitamin C for up to six hours. So you must choose foods VERY high in vitamin C to get some, or choose foods or herbs with no sugar. For example, Kakadu plums have the most vitamin C of any food, having 5300 mg per 100 grams of fruit. If you ate 25 grams (or just under 1 ounce), you would get a little over 1300 mg of vitamin C. But Kakadu plums are rare and expensive, and most people choose oranges or other fruits, which are a far jump down the vitamin C scale in fruit. Almost all fruits have glucose or sugars that contain or quickly convert to glucose. And many other foods convert to glucose quickly in the body, so this is an area to watch for. Remember that glucose will also hinder the absorption of some of the minerals you need, so it’s not just vitamin C that is affected. (16)(17) Some vegetables are better sources of vitamin C. Though bell peppers and tomatoes, which are high in vitamin C, are actually fruits, though many consider them as vegetables. Bell peppers have as much as 183.5 mg of vitamin C per serving, and tomatoes have about 22.5 mg per serving. Kale has 120 mg per serving; Broccoli 89.2 mg; Brussels Sprouts 85 mg, and Cauliflower 48.2 mg. There are also herbs with high levels of vitamin C, and most have zero sugars. Cilantro/Coriander is said to be one of the highest, with 567 mg per 100 grams of dried leaves. (18) Seeds are also high. Moringa oleifera is also said to be high, having 220 mg per 17.3 mg of dried leaves, but is known to have some unpleasant side effects and antinutrients, leaving it less desirable. (18b) Parsley has 133 mg per 100 grams. (18c), Garden Cress 69 mg, and Basil 18 mg per serving. Even some spices have vitamin C, such as Saffron with 18 mg per serving. (19)
One of the unexpected things discovered recently is that one can get vitamin C from meat via a carnivore diet. The discovery found that Paleolithic people did not have Osteoporosis or scurvy, yet got little vitamin C in their diet from vegetables. It was found in a study that, despite any vegetable or fruit content in the diet, some were able to get vitamin C, preventing scurvy. Most people, of course, don’t follow a carnivore diet. The point is that one does not have to eat oranges and lots of fruit to acquire the vitamin C one needs. Other healthy foods with vitamin C are liver, chili peppers, kohlrabi, bok choy, watercress, cabbage, (also sauerkraut), collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, swiss chard, rutabaga, horseradish, okra, purslane, turnips, jicama, broccoli rabe, scallions, arugula, zucchini, parsnips, squash, green beans, fennel, leeks, artichokes, lettuce, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, radicchio, onions, endive, carrots, asparagus, beetroot, celery, cucumber, sweet potato, and mushrooms. (20)(21)
Knowing that we, like many mammals, can make our own vitamin C on a strictly meat diet or carnivore diet, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn there are also meats with vitamin C. We’ve already mentioned liver, but there are more.
Foods highest in Vitamin C (based on levels per 100-gram serving) in Beef Products
- Beef, variety meats and by-products, spleen cooked, braised – 50mg
- Beef, variety meats and by-products, spleen, raw – 45mg
- Beef, variety meats and by-products, lungs, raw – 38mg
- Beef, variety meats and by-products, thymus, raw – 34mg
- Beef, variety meats and by-products, lungs, braised – 33mg
- Beef, variety meats and by-products, thymus, cooked, braised – 30 mg
- Beef, cured, corned beef brisket, raw – 27mg
- Beef, cured, breakfast strips, raw or unheated – 24mg
- Beef, variety meats and by-products, pancreas, cooked, braised – 20mg (23)
While it takes only 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men to prevent “scurvy, which is where these RDI levels come from, more than this is needed to effectively address osteoporosis. Most experts suggest 400-500 mg as a minimum, as also stated in the Supplements for Osteoporosis list. However, as mentioned in that articles, vitamin C as with most nutrients need to be obtained from food/diet first.
Naturally Better Bones 