Citrus C Plus (with Zinc, Selenium, Vitamin D3 and K2)
Oshun Health’s Citrus C Plus is a liposomal whole food/natural Vitamin C that’s extracted directly from organic oranges, lemons and baobab with added zinc and selenium, vitamins D3 and K2. It differs from most other vitamin C’s in that it is not an ascorbate and, therefore, not synthetically derived. Citrus C Plus is made using proprietary extraction technology that does not affect the phytochemical structure of the plant and keeps it preserved for an extended period. Citrus C Plus uses our trademarked fulvisome absorption technology which means that the nutrients in Citrus C Plus are delivered straight to the cells of the body. Because it is a whole food supplement, Citrus C Plus does not only contain the vitamins mentioned but also the phytochemicals, nutritional cofactors and soluble fibre present in whole fruit. These factors are important in the way the body uses nutrition. Vitamin C, zinc, selenium, vitamin D3 and K2 are important elements in maintaining a strong immune system.
Why vitamin C, zinc, selenium, vitamin D3 and K2?
Selenium
Viral and bacterial infections are often associated with deficiencies in macronutrients and micronutrients, including the essential trace element selenium. It has been shown, for instance, that if an individual is deficient in selenium, benign strains of the Coxsackie and influenza viruses can mutate to highly pathogenic strains. An international team of researchers, led by Professor Margaret Rayman at the University of Surrey, has identified a link between the COVID-19 cure rate and regional selenium status in China. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa095/5826147 . More specifically, increased viral replication (hence increased mutation rate); and observed higher pathogenicity or mortality in selenium deficient individuals were reported.
Vitamin C and Zinc
Vitamin C concentrations in the body rapidly decline during infections and stress, and supplementation of vitamin C was found to improve the human immune system. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16373990
Zinc homeostasis is crucial for the adequate function of the immune system. Zinc deficiency as well as zinc excess result in severe disturbances in immune cell numbers and activities, which can result in increased susceptibility to infections and development of especially inflammatory diseases. Impaired immune functions due to inadequate zinc status may be the most common cause of secondary immunodeficiency in humans. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5666901/.
A large number of trials document that adequate intakes of vitamin C and zinc improve symptoms and shorten the duration of respiratory tract infections including the common cold. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16373990
In conclusion, Vitamin C, zinc and selenium play important roles in immune function and resistance to infectious agents. They can reduce the risk, severity, and duration of infectious diseases.
Vitamin D3 and K2
Vitamin D3 contributes to the maintenance of strong bones and teeth and in the the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. It’s also crucial for the maintenance of a strong immune system. The vitamin D3 in this product is derived from algae and, therefore, suitable for vegans. It’s important to take vitamin K2 with D3 to help the body use calcium properly to build bone instead of depositing it dangerously in arteries and soft tissue. The vitamin K2 in Citrus C Plus is derived from the metabolites of microbes.
Why take a whole food vitamin C?
- Ascorbic acid isn’t fully representative of Vitamin C
Ascorbic acid, generally marketed as Vitamin C, represents only the outer ring that serves as the protective shell for the entire Vitamin C complex, much like an orange peel serves as a protective shell for an orange. The real Vitamin C molecule, as found in whole foods, contains the following components:
- Rutin
- Bioflavonoids (Vitamin P)
- Factor K
- Factor J
- Factor P
- Tyrosinase
- Ascorbinogen
- Ascorbic Acid
When only ascorbic acid is taken the body has to gather all of the other components of the full Vitamin C complex from the body’s tissues in order to utilise the ascorbic acid. Should the body not have adequate reserves of the other components, ascorbic acid itself does not provide any of the health benefits that the full Vitamin C complex does. Moreover, if ascorbic acid is taken in high doses, it can deplete the body of the abovementioned components. (reference: http://drbenkim.com/articles-vitamins.html)
- Phytochemicals – food for thought
Citrus C also provides the phytochemicals and other nutritional cofactors present in whole fruit. Why is this so important? Research has shown that the health benefits provided by the synergistic interaction between antioxidant vitamins and their cofactors have been greatly underestimated. Studies on whole fruit like apples, for instance, show that Vitamin C, without its accompanying phytochemicals, only account for 0,4% of the very potent antioxidant value of the fruit! (reference: Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits). Some scientists even believe that the phytochemicals are more important than the antioxidant vitamin itself. It, therefore, makes sense to take Vitamin C as it occurs in nature – complex with its accompanying phytochemicals. This is what Citrus C offers.
The pursuit of whole food nutrition is in line with Oshun Health’s view that the less synthetic, and the closer the source of nutrition is to the way nature itself presents it, the better.
