Because Jigsaw Vitamin C w/SRT™ is specially designed to be taken at what are considered very high doses, we chose to use pure ascorbic acid rather than buffered ascorbate for a number of reasons:

1. Ascorbic acid is the form mammals make, and that is the form our bodies would make if it could.
2. To get 1 gram of vitamin C into a small enough tablet to swallow, there is not room for added minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium or sodium (some of the common buffering agents used).
3. The main need for buffering is that when you "dump" a lot of ascorbic acid into the stomach all at once, it can cause discomfort in the form of stomach cramps or a burning sensation, as well as diarrhea in most cases. Our sustained release technology prevents these side-effects without adding a cause for concern that buffered vitamin C can create.

Buffered vitamin C, being bound to minerals, delivers that mineral into the body along with vitamin C. At very high doses, these minerals can overload your body with more than it needs and/or can handle. Too much calcium for example can cause an array of non-beneficial effects in the body - such as constipation, muscle cramps, stiffness of the joints, kidney stones, and calcium deposits in the brain, arteries and soft tissues.

Similarly, while magnesium is a wonderful mineral, using it as a buffering agent for vitamin C is unwise because, at very high doses - like those that can safely be taken of vitamin C on its own - it will cause a laxative effect and make it impossible to take the higher doses that offer the most significant benefits.

The same principle applies to the other mineral ascorbates as well. Too much of them can cause problems. SRT alleviates the side-effects of large amounts of vitamin C without creating a cause for concern as buffered vitamin C can.

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Article ID: 584