IADSA highlights major discrepancies in global vitamin C guidance

August 10, 2022

Daily Vitamin C recommendations vary significantly worldwide even though the data underlying them are broadly the same, according to a new ‘Mind the Gap’ resource from IADSA, the international alliance for the supplement sector.

Research shows that there is an almost threefold difference between the lowest and the highest recommendations for vitamin C issued by national and regional health authorities.¹ Some scientists are now calling for an alignment of guidance to help people attain optimum vitamin C status.

Full details are outlined in the latest Mind the Gap story – ‘A world of difference: Why do global recommendations for Vitamin C vary so widely?’ Available to view online at iadsa.org/mind-the-gap/english/vitamin-c#intro, it also explores the case for reviewing daily vitamin C intake recommendations for specific demographic groups, including pregnant and lactating women, smokers, the elderly, and people who are obese.

Vitamin C prevents scurvy, a disease that was once common among sailors, but is thankfully now rare. However, it also performs a number of important functions in the body. In particular, it is a major scavenger of free radicals, helping to protect cells from oxidative damage.² It also helps to maintain healthy skin, bones and cartilage, and supports the immune and nervous systems.

Dr Gerhard Gans, Chair of IADSA, commented: “The benefits of vitamin C stretch well beyond the prevention of scurvy into a range of other key areas of health and wellbeing. To optimise people’s vitamin C status, IADSA believes that greater consideration needs to be given to the setting of appropriate daily intake recommendations. We agree that aligning the criteria used for establishing these would be a positive step.”

Mind the Gap is an information resource created by IADSA – the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations. It facilitates the sharing of positive stories about the benefits that nutrition offers to consumers all over the world and society at large. It also seeks to fill gaps in our scientific knowledge, while promoting real-life examples of successful national nutrition programmes. Find out more at iadsa.org/mind-the-gap.

Based in London, IADSA is the international association of the food supplement sector, with members from six continents. IADSA is the global platform to guide the evolution of policy and regulation in the sector. Visit iadsa.org for more information.

¹ Anitra C. Carr & Jens Lykkesfeldt (2021) Discrepancies in global vitamin C recommendations: a review of RDA criteria and underlying health perspectives, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 61:5, 742-755, DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2020.1744513

² EFSA Journal 2009; 7(9):1226 - DOI: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2009.1226

ENDS

For more information, please contact:
​Richard Clarke, Ingredient Communications
​Tel: +44 7766 256176 | Email: richard@ingredientcommunications.com

About IADSA
​Established in 1998, IADSA is an international body comprising member associations and companies operating in the global supplements sector. Bringing together food supplement associations from six continents, IADSA is a trusted source of information and runs regional and national regulatory, scientific and technical programmes in many parts of the world, supporting and advising governments and other stakeholders in relation to the development and implementation of regulation and policy. IADSA also works with companies and authorities to build national associations in countries where they do not already exist. IADSA’s full name is International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations.