Vitamin C has many benefits, and it is essential for proper health. One more reason to make sure you are getting enough vitamin C is because low vitamin C levels may lead to less fat burned during exercise. A study published in Nutrition and Metabolism demonstrates that inadequate vitamin C intake leads to less fat burned during a 60 minute cardiovascular exercise session.
22 subjects participated in the study, 15 of which had a low vitamin C level and 7 of which had an adequate vitamin C level. The subjects participated in a 60 minute treadmill session. Some of the subjects with a low Vitamin C level then supplemented with 500mg of vitamin C daily for 8 weeks to replenish the vitamin, and then completed the 60 minute treadmill session again.
The subjects with a low Vitamin C level burned about 25% less body fat per amount of weight burned than the subjects with an adequate vitamin C level. When the subjects with a low vitamin C level supplemented with 500mg daily for 8 weeks and repeated the exercise session, they actually increased the burning of fat for energy to about 4 times what they burned before supplementation! Now I wouldn’t count on adding in extra vitamin C suddenly ramping up fat burning, but this is certainly one more reason to make sure you are consuming enough vitamin C in addition to its many other benefits.
Johnston CS, Corte C, & Swan PD. (2006). Marginal vitamin C status is associated with reduced fat oxidation during submaximal exercise in young adults. Nutrition & Metabolism. 3, 35.
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