BACKGROUND
There are numerous buffered vitamin C products on the market, what makes Comfort C (neutralized vitamin C with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0) different?

SUMMARY
Comfort C has numerous advantages as a source of vitamin C, calcium ascorbate has few.  Many of the advantages are technical, but not subtle, and your customers may want to know that:

• Comfort C is gentle to their stomach and helps replace any calcium that vitamin C might remove from their system.
• Vitamin C is an important nutrient for helping to neutralize free radicals and promote maximum intracellular communication.

• Comfort C is a better form of vitamin C than ascorbic acid, and much better than the calcium ascorbate form.
• Comfort C’s buffered, non-acidic gentleness is natural and not gas-releasing.
• Vitamin C is very acidic with a pH of 4.2, hence, people with acid problems (44% of the US population has either Acid Reflux or occasional heartburn) cannot tolerate this level of pH.
• Until now, the only solution for these people is to either not take vitamin C or to buy the leading brand of "acid neutralized" vitamin C, this brand uses calcium ascorbates to "neutralize" (raise the pH) in its Vitamin C
• Calcium ascorbate is not very effective at raising the pH of vitamin C to a maximum of 4.05 within 8 minutes after consumption

Everyone has some calcium ascorbate in their body, why not start with Comfort C?

HOW NEUTRAL IS NEUTRAL?
Reduced-acidity vitamin C (buffered vitamin C, or calcium ascorbate) consists of a mixture of ascorbic acid and calcium ascorbate, the pH of this mixture dissolved in water is 4.2 (slightly acidic). The pKa of this mixture is low (thus a weak source of hydroxide ions).  Comfort C is a proprietary blend of food grade chemicals, has a pH of 10.8 in water (alkaline).  The pKa of Comfort C is quite high (thus a strong source of hydroxide ions).

How calcium ascorbate and Comfort C may function in stomach is given in the chart (Page 5). This further demonstrates the difference between these two products. As can be seen calcium ascorbate when introduced to a stomach like environment with an initial pH of 2.2, increases to a maximum pH of 4.05 after 8 minutes. This is due to the fact that the pKa of the calcium ascorbate is not strong enough to further neutralize the stomach acid.  Comfort C, due to its higher pKa immediately neutralizes the stomach acid to a pH of 7.0 in one minute and a pH of 7.5 after 8 minutes.

CALCIUM EXCRETION
When vitamin C is excreted it also increases the excretion of the essential minerals sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc, as well as the undesirable pollutants lead, mercury, cadmium, and strontium. The diuretic action of vitamin C increases the excretion of sodium and potassium, while the chelating action of vitamin C increases the excretion of the other minerals mentioned.  Mega doses of vitamin C could cause a deficiency of any or all of the aforementioned essential nutrients, but calcium and magnesium are the main problems due to the fact that they are often in short supply in the body. Calcium excretion is increased more than magnesium because vitamin C chelates more calcium directly out of the bloodstream. The pH (acid level) of blood favors the chelation of calcium by vitamin C over that of magnesium. Unlike calcium ascorbate, Comfort C is a source of both magnesium and potassium thus supplying these essential minerals while vitamin C is excreted.

The chelation effect of vitamin C is beneficial (to some degree) because it preferentially removes calcium not deposited under physiological control. Thus calcium deposits are mobilized, and unless they are involved in physiologically controlled equilibria the calcium is not returned. Thus, vitamin C can help reduce over calcification and unwanted calcium deposits.

However, if adequate calcium isn't ingested to replace calcium sequestered from essential physiologically-controlled processes, then calcium deficiency occurs. One way to guarantee that vitamin C doesn't remove more calcium than that ingested is to take Comfort C, vitamin C (as) (in the form of) ascorbic acid with potassium and magnesium.

HOW COMFORT-C WORKS
Comfort C is hydrolyzed in the stomach into calcium ions and ascorbate ions (vitamin C). Some of the vitamin C (ascorbate ions) combines with stomach acid (the hydrogen ion of hydrochloric acid) to form ascorbic acid, another form of vitamin C. When ascorbic acid is formed from Comfort C, there is no increase in total acid concentration due to the buffering capacity of the magnesium and potassium hydroxide ions, thus the interchange between two acids as hydrochloric acid and ascorbate are converted to ascorbic acid and chloride.

Some of the ascorbate chelates again with the calcium ions, and is readily assimilated. Once in the bloodstream, some of this chelated calcium ascorbate dissociates (returns) to free calcium ions and vitamin C (ascorbate ion).  Comfort C increases calcium absorption and vitamin C (ascorbate) absorption.

Some people receive an added benefit because the temporary chelation of calcium supplied by Comfort C temporarily protects vitamin C (ascorbate ion) from oxidation to dehydroascorbic acid and subsequent rapid oxidative degradation in the duodenum.  Some individuals absorb only a few milligrams of vitamin C (ascorbate) out of each gram of ascorbic acid ingested, and thus they will benefit from vitamin C chelated as calcium, magnesium or potassium ascorbate.

VITAMIN C STORAGE
Vitamin C is never stored in cells in the form of ascorbic acid. The cells normally contain vitamin C in the form of potassium ascorbate, sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate and magnesium ascorbate in the following ratios: 105:5:3:2. Comfort C’s formula aids in supplying a source of potassium and magnesium to help the cell store ascorbic acid.

Click on image to view a larger graph.

Statements, definitions and comments provided herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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