Researchers at University of Otago, Dunedin have shown that mice fed vitamin C from kiwifruit absorb more of the compound than those fed with artificial vitamin C.
The study, led by associate professor Margreet Vissers fed vitamin C-deficient mice a known quantity of vitamin C over a month, either as kiwifruit or as an equivalent amount of an artificial vitamin C supplement.
“The results were astounding,”said Vissers. “Mice that were fed the gold kiwifruit absorbed vitamin C much more effectively than those given the purified supplement form, and they also retained it in their organs and tissues for longer.”
The study, which was published in the February edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is the first of its kind to demonstrate the effectiveness of a food source of vitamin C in achieving and maintaining optimal vitamin C levels, compared to a supplement – one of the most commonly consumed vitamin supplements.
While it showed vitamin C from either green or gold kiwifruit was better absorbed by the mice, it did not compare other natural sources of vitamin C.
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