Vitamin C on Keto: 5 Reasons to Supplement Your Daily Dose

We all know vitamin C is a critical nutrient. It’s a water-soluble vitamin that can’t be produced in the body but plays an essential role in everything from skin health and energy to immune function and exercise performance.When excluding certain food groups from your diet - especially as the ketogenic diet does - the opportunity for nutrient deficiencies presents itself loud and proud.

Especially for something like vitamin C found in some carb-rich foods and things like peppers, broccoli, and citrus, those eliminating certain food groups may have a tough time getting their fill. So, how do you prevent nutrient deficiencies on a ketogenic diet?

You supplement! In this article, we’re exploring all the benefits of vitamin D and the top benefits for why it’s a must in your supplement stack

Supplementation On A Keto Diet

While the ketogenic diet is inherently pretty nutrient-dense, cutting certain food groups or foods out of the eating repertoire can present some issues nutrient-intake-wise.

For anyone following a ketogenic diet, there are a few nutrients at significant risk of deficiency than others.Because the classic ketogenic diet is high-fat, low carbohydrate, and moderate protein, the body is forced into a state of nutritional ketosis, whereby fatty acids are burned for fuel.

Roughly 80 to 90% of the diet comprises fat, which doesn’t contain a slew of nutrients; protein comprises the next biggest chunk; and we fill in the gaps with carbohydrates - which often have many of the water-soluble vitamins, including vitamin C.A 2003 study found that a three-day ketogenic diet made up of a 4:1 ratio of fat to non-fat that selected nutrient-dense foods were analyzed for nutrient content ¹. To optimize results, nutrient-dense foods were purposely chosen.

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) were the standard for micronutrient intake, and interestingly, of the 24 nutrients examined, 19 were below the recommended intake on the ketogenic diet. These included:

• Thiamin (B1)
• Folate (B9)
• Pantothenic Acid (B5)
• Calcium
• Copper
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Molybdenum
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Essential fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6)

Other research shows similar results, with a 4:1 ketogenic diet containing the lowest concentration of micronutrients compared to a 1:1 diet like the Modified Atkins Diet (MAD) which included the highest intake of nutrients ².

But what’s interesting is that a diet filled with less nutritionally-dense foods would have shown even poorer results.The ketogenic diet may have a host of benefits, but micronutrient deficiencies aren’t uncommon. If you want to avoid going into the red with your nutrient intake, stock up on supplements.

Although supplements will never replace a nutritionally-dense diet, they can fill in the gaps - especially something like Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi, which supplies 100% RDI of 17+ essential vitamins and minerals in the most bioavailable form. So, if you’re following a keto diet, consider stocking up.

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5 Reasons Why You Should Be Taking Vitamin C On A Keto Diet

While vitamin C may not be one of the most prominent deficiencies in a keto diet, the reality is that most people don’t get enough. Plus, levels are depleted even faster when the body enters stress mode, causing further complications.

But why do people following a keto diet need vitamin C?

It’s a powerful antioxidant

If you’re following a keto diet, chances are you lead a pretty healthy lifestyle, which means exercise is probably a regular.

Vitamin C’s potent antioxidant properties offer some killer defense against free radicals generated by metabolic processes, pollution, radiation, and more. But fighting off free radicals isn’t its only super role. It’s also involved in regenerating vitamin E - another powerful antioxidant ³.

Studies find that boosting your vitamin C intake can increase antioxidant levels by a whopping 30%, which naturally boosts the body’s defenses against inflammation and oxidative stress ⁴.

Supports healthy connective tissues

Your body is composed of connective tissue that keeps you flexible and limber. The bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, skin, and blood vessels serve as your body's building blocks.

Without the required micronutrients to support their growth, your body would crumble. While several nutrients and amino acids are needed, vitamin C is a biggie.

Vitamin C is a critical co-factor for proline and lysine hydroxylases that stabilize collagen structure and promote collagen gene expression ⁵. Collagen formation is primarily the result of fibroblasts in the skin that generate the basement membrane and dermal collagen matrix.

If vitamin C levels aren’t sufficient to support the proper development of the collagen matrix, it can lead to skin fragility and poor wound healing.

Boosts iron absorption

Sufficient iron intake typically isn’t an issue for anyone on a keto diet, but meeting your iron requirements can be difficult for those attempting to follow a plant-based keto diet.

However, when you pair non-heme iron-rich foods with vitamin C, you can maximize absorption and boost your levels.If you want optimal performance in and out of the gym, iron is a must - its primary role is in producing hemoglobin, the protein component of red blood cells that transports oxygen to cells and tissues.

Without sufficient iron, you’ll experience things like weakness and fatigue. However, because heme iron is widely available in animal foods and is more readily absorbed, meat-eaters typically don’t have an issue with iron levels.

On the other hand, plant-based (non-heme) iron absorption can be enhanced by vitamin C, and the enhancement of iron absorption from plant-based meals is directly proportional to the amount of ascorbic acid in the meal ⁶.

Regulates mood

If you’ve recently transitioned to keto and your mood has taken a hit from cutting carbs, have no fear - vitamin C is here!

You may not have suspected a link between vitamin C and mood, but the nutrient has a substantial role in neurotransmitter biosynthesis, including the catecholamines dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine.

It is a cofactor for the enzyme dopamine β-hydroxylase, which converts dopamine to norepinephrine, potentially explaining why there are high concentrations of ascorbic acid in the adrenals ⁷.Some tell-tale symptoms of vitamin C deficiency are fatigue, low mood, confusion, or anger, so adding a bit of vitamin C - combined with a well-planned keto diet - may help tackle mood imbalances ⁸.

Supports immune function

Last but not least, we get to one of the most well-known roles of vitamin C: immunity.

Whether you’re feeling under the weather or have the full-blown flu, adding a shot of vitamin C - or some keto-friendly vitamin C-rich foods - could be a lifesaver. Vitamin C is such a potent immune supporter because of its involvement in functions of both the innate and adaptive immune systems ⁹. When your body is exposed to germs and pathogens, vitamin C is required for the immediate defenses that protect your body.

Specifically, vitamin C is needed to strengthen the epithelial barrier and promote the skin's oxidant scavenging activity, thereby keeping pathogens out and protecting you from environmental oxidative stress.

But it’s also needed to support and strengthen the long-term, specific immune responses that develop upon subsequent exposure to a pathogen.A deficiency of vitamin C impairs both the adaptive and innate immune systems and increases the risk of infection.

A 2013 scientific review found that supplementing vitamin C can reduce the duration of upper respiratory tract infections and may reduce the risk of infection by a whopping 50% for certain people ¹⁰.

There’s a lot of information on vitamin C and the immune system, but there is no shortage of essential roles it plays in keeping you healthy.