Pure Ascorbic Acid

Biohacker Review: Vitamin C is sort of a Nootropic

In this review, I'll tell you about why I take Ascorbic Acid daily and break down the recent science that has been done on it.

Every day, I make a tangy Biohacker beverage for my wife and I composed of powdered Creatine, NALT, and Ascorbic Acid with which I wash down whatever capsuled Nootropics or supplements I'm taking in the midmorning. Ascorbic Acid doesn't have much of a subjective effect itself; I take it mostly because I really, really hate getting sick during the wintertime, and taking it daily we've managed to almost totally avoid illness in the past few winters (with the exception of a very mild case of COVID last year.)

Recent science overview

In this young decade alone there have been over 2000 items of human scientific research (including 178 clinical trials) about Ascorbic Acid published on Pubmed. I'll summarize the ones that jumped out at me...

You've no doubt heard good things about Vitamin C in the last few years, as something to take to prevent or treat COVID. Ongoing research indicates that Ascorbic Acid is no COVID wonder-treatment - it's not the only thing I'd want in my COVID armamentarium - but helpful.

A large Saudi Arabian study of over 700 patients concludes...

Low dose of ascorbic acid as an adjunctive therapy in COVID-19 critically ill patients was not associated with mortality benefits, but it was associated with a lower incidence of thrombosis.

I had to look up what thrombosis is; it's blood clotting which is obviously something that the COVID-stricken would want to avoid. Also, I might add that this study had a correction - this is something that I see from time to time on Pubmed. It can mean that a study's conclusion is wrong or that sloppy science was done. In this case, it was a miscalculation in one of the study's date tables. I find it admirable when scientists acknowledge their mistakes (even small ones) publicly and correct them.

Although, according to an American trial of 214 COVID patients, 10 days of high-dose Ascorbic Acid did not significantly decrease the duration of symptoms. But one of the authors of the study received consulting fees from Gilead Sciences - one of most voracious pandemic vulture capitalists - so takes its results with a grain of salt.

Although an Iranian study concurs, high-dose Vitamin C did not result in significantly better outcomes in patients with severe COVID.

A Singaporean trial validates the combination of Zinc and Vitamin C, which increases spike and neutralising antibody production following COVID infection.

There were a number of studies evaluating Ascorbic Acid as an emergency intervention in a hospital setting for things like sepsis, but you're probably more interested in its biohacking use cases in normal life so let's look at a few of those...

It's a lung health hack at a daily dose of just 250 milligrams, improving peak expiratory flow, according to an Indian trial. You might say, I don't smoke and breathe fine so I'm not really worried about my lungs. Well, do you live in a big bustling city? Then you gotta worry some about the well-being of your lungs!

It's sort of a Nootropic, according to a South Korean study which concluded...

Inadequate vitamin C status is related to a low level of mental vitality. Vitamin C supplementation effectively increased work motivation and attentional focus and contributed to better performance on cognitive tasks requiring sustained attention.

This study should put Vitamin C on the radar of young, otherwise healthy adults looking to round out their supplementation as that's how its abstract described the +200 Koreans in the randomized controlled trial.

A Brazilian study found that it blunts the effects of mental stress (at least in overweight men) - namely oxidative imbalance and vascular remodeling.

It's a beauty hack for "radiance" and "brightness" when applied as a skin serum according to a Thai study, at least when combined with vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract.

Another study found that a similar serum combining it with Vitamin E and green tea Improves Photoaged Facial Skin - which validates the decadent fantasy I've long had of bathing in green tea (I'll make that exclusive content for when I start an OnlyFans account - just kidding!)

Good news for the athletic, Vitamin C and Collagen taken 60 minutes before a workout improves rate of force development in squat exercises according to a University of California Davis study. So not only might it make your skin more radiant, your shapely tush might be getting ogled more. Collagen is a no-brainer for anyone who wants to live longer (and look better doing it!) and Vitamin C is its essential cofactor.

Should you choose powdered or capsuled?

PureBulk.com offers both and while it's more convenient to take capsuled (like any supplement) I prefer it powdered because it's more economical and it doesn't taste bad - I like its tangy taste!

Purity-verified with COA

The final thing I like about this Ascorbic Acid is that it's verified as pure with a certificate of analysis from an accredited American lab. This evidence of purity is something you should demand that your local gym supplement shop or the sellers on Amazon likely can't provide.

Ascorbic acid is a water-soluble form of vitamin C. Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, meaning the body cannot produce it. Some dietary sources of vitamin C include kiwis, bell peppers, strawberries, oranges, broccoli, and tomatoes. However, ascorbic acid is a fragile molecule, and the levels of ascorbic acid in foods often decrease during preparation, cooking, and storage. Oxidation, heat, and alkalinity also reduce the levels of vitamin C in foods. Many individuals opt to take ascorbic acid powder to maximize the benefits of vitamin C, as it provides better dosing control and more consistent results.