10 Best Vitamin C Supplements 2024 in the US

With the prevalence of colds and flu during the winter, it’s best to include a Vitamin C supplement in your diet. You’re sure to find a vitamin that suits you best!

Introduction

Nobel prize winner nonagenarian Linus Pauling was an advocate for taking megadoses of Vitamin C. He personally used to take 3 grams of Vitamin C daily, to prevent catching a cold, and touted that large doses can help fight cardiovascular disease and even cancer! His views were controversial during his lifetime. Studies do show that Vitamin C can have a role in preventing cancer and inhibiting the growth of cancer cells--but perhaps not a “cure” as much as Dr. Pauling thought.

Nonetheless, it’s unanimous that Vitamin C is an essential vitamin. The human body must receive it from an outside source for proper functioning. Vitamin C has many functions:

• It’s involved in everyday metabolic function, as well as in the formation of connective tissue.

• It’s important for proper utilization of other nutrients, such as folic acid and iron.

• It’s fundamental in the immune system, and in producing white blood cells.

• Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant involved in fighting damage and aging of cells due to free radicals.

From the MSN list of the top 10 Vitamin C supplements, you’ll see that there is a wealth of Vitamin C supplements on the market. They come in a variety of forms, from traditional pills and capsules, chewable vitamins, and even tasty powdered drinks. We’ll look at the advantages of each, to help you decide which is best.

In What Forms Can I Buy Vitamin C Supplements?

Vitamin C supplements are available in many forms, depending on what consumers find most convenient and appealing. You’ll find pills and capsules, chewable vitamins, powdered mixes, and liquid Vitamin C supplements.

• Capsules and tablets: These are swallowed with water, which may not be convenient at times. But they can supply a very large dosage, such as Solgar’s 1000 mg Vitamin C capsules. Such large doses are especially good for people who engage in vigorous exercise. Also, smokers require a greater amount of Vitamin C than the recommended daily allowance--approximately 35 mg more per day. So, a once-a-day Solgar vitamin will be way more than enough.

Solgar’s 1000 mg Vitamin C Capsules

• Powder: You can buy Vitamin C in powder form, such as NOW Supplements Vitamin C Crystals. You mix it with water or any other beverage and drink it down. The great thing about this is that you control the dosage so that your body can utilize the entire dosage.

NOW Supplements Vitamin C Crystals

• Flavored powder: The NOW crystals have no flavorings or sweeteners. If you prefer a powdered Vitamin C supplement that’s also tasty and appealing, using natural flavors, there is the Emergen-C Vitamin C Supplement drink mix. It also contains B vitamins, antioxidants, and electrolytes. When you put it in water, it makes an effervescent, fizzy drink. It comes in a variety of flavors: orange, blueberry, raspberry, and more.

Emergen-C Vitamin C Supplement

• Chewable tablets: Instead of mixing a powder with water, you can also get chewable Vitamin C supplements. Airborne Citrus Chewable Tablets is just one such product, containing 1000 mg in each tablet. It also has herbs such as echinacea and ginger, and minerals like zinc, magnesium, manganese, and selenium. It comes in citrus and berry flavors.

Airborne Citrus Chewable Tablets

• Gummies: There are also chewable Vitamin C supplements in gummy bear form. It’s a great alternative for people who don’t like swallowing pills. It can also be taken without water. But, even if the gummy bear supplement is sugar-free, the acid in the gummy bear can cause erosion of the teeth enamel. So, it’s wise to brush your teeth after taking them. An example is MegaFood C Defense Gummies. One gummy will already provide you with 90 mg of Vitamin C, the recommended daily allowance for an adult!

MegaFood C Defense Gummies

• Spray form: For children (and even adults) who don’t like swallowing pills, you can find Vitamin C supplements in spray form. One such product is the Garden of Life Vitamin C. Just 5 sprays will provide you with 60 mg of Vitamin C.

Garden of Life Vitamin C

What do Experts Say About Vitamin C Supplements?

• Do you really need a Vitamin C supplement? The studies that have shown benefits to Vitamin C in preventing cancer or atherosclerosis noted that people who ate adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables had no need for Vitamin C supplements. Foods that are high in Vitamin C include red peppers, citrus fruits, broccoli, strawberries, cabbage, and potatoes. However, these foods lose a significant amount of Vitamin C if they’re cooked in water. If they must be cooked, it’s best to microwave or steam them.

Also, if you are suffering from a stressful lifestyle, this can also affect the amount of Vitamin C that your body utilizes. So, a supplement may be helpful.

• Daily recommended allowance: The daily amount of Vitamin C that you should get varies by gender and age. It’s recommended that adult men receive 90 mg, and adult women should receive 75 mg. A woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding should get 120 mg. Children should receive anywhere from 25-75 mg per day, depending on their age and weight.

• Not to take too much: Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning that it’s not really stored in the body’s tissues. If your body’s tissues have enough of the daily amount of Vitamin C, the excess will just get secreted in your urine. There’s also an upper limit, where taking too much can be bad for you. For an adult, the upper limit is around 2000 mg, and it’s between 400-1800 mg for children. Very high doses are really unnecessary and can have undesirable side effects, such as headaches, flushed skin, nausea, and vomiting. Since the Vitamin C is filtered through your kidneys, excess Vitamin C in your diet could actually lead to kidney stones.

• Economical: If you want to take a larger dose, it’s recommended to have a single concentrated dose, than many small doses. Therefore, it’s more economical to take a 1000 mg supplement once a day, than smaller individual doses.

What Factors Should I Consider When Selecting a Vitamin C Supplement?

• Laboratory tested: Many supplements will have a declaration that any health claims have not been verified by laboratory testing. At the same time, it’s best to buy supplements with third-party verification by laboratories such as the National Science Foundation or the United States Pharmacopeia (USP).

• Liposomal Vitamin C: Some products advertise that they provide “liposomal Vitamin C”. Liposomes are tiny bubbles of oil that surround the Vitamin C molecules. This ensures that it gets absorbed into the body without being broken down by digestive enzymes in the stomach or intestines. One such product is Pure Encapsulations Liposomal Vitamin C liquid.

• Released capsule: We mentioned that a person can only assimilate a certain amount of Vitamin C. Excess Vitamin C is expelled in the urine. But, there are solutions to that. Nature’s Bounty makes a time-released capsule, where the Vitamin C enters your system slowly, over the course of 6-8 hours. This way, there is better absorption and less of the vitamin goes to waste.

• Buffered Vitamin C: Some people are sensitive to acid in their diet. Vitamin C, being ascorbic acid, may irritate your stomach or intestine lining. Life Extension makes a buffered Vitamin C powder, which has the minerals calcium, magnesium, zinc, and potassium. The minerals reduce the amount of acid, making it more pleasant to drink.

Wrap Up

We’ve discussed some of the best Vitamin C supplements available, the benefits of Vitamin C, why you should take a supplement, and how it’s important to not take too much. You should be able to choose from the MSN list of the top 10 Vitamin C supplements and find something that matches your needs and lifestyle.