Vitamin C is an essential dietary component in humans. This means that without adequate supply, disease and death are assured. An outright deficiency of vitamin C is rare, but suboptimal intakes of the vitamin are reasonably common. Sub-optimal intakes can cause a number of metabolic dysfunctions, one of which relates to weight loss. There exists an association between vitamin C status and body weight, such that those with the lowest intakes have the highest body weights. One reason for this may be the ability of vitamin C to increase fat oxidation during exercise. Individuals with adequate intakes of vitamin C have been shown to oxidise 30 % more fat during moderate exercise compared to vitamin C depleted individuals. This suggests that a sub-optimal vitamin C intake significantly reduced fat oxidation during exercise. Ensuring optimal intakes of vitamin C through the use of supplements may therefore be a relatively inexpensive way of assuring that fat oxidation during exercise is optimal.
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