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Post by Aksel's Dad on Jun 20, 2022 6:57:29 GMT -5
Vitamin C is the only supplement we give to our child. We opted for the powder form of ascorbic acid since it did not contain any sweeteners. Yet, the fact that most of the ascorbic acid brands available in the market claim to contain "L-ascorbic acid". I wondered what the letter "L" stood for. "Liposomal", "lecithine" or any other chemical that may be harmful for HFI patients...
In a few sources, I found out there is no need to get worried (and more than that -if the first source below is right- it is "an empty marketing slogan"):
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Post by ukbill on Jun 20, 2022 17:51:15 GMT -5
You are right it has to do with the "shape" of the organic molecule.
Different shapes can even have different flavours or smells.
Organic chemistry is not one of absolutes, there is never ever any such thing as a 100% pure organic chemical at all. It is simply impossible for this to be true.
This is why solid Glucose is allowed to be sold as 100% pure so long as it contains less than 40% "other sugars".
One of the key reasons I do not ever recommend Glucose be given to any HFI person.
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Post by antonia on Jun 21, 2022 12:23:00 GMT -5
The L is nothing bad. It’s just a descriptor to distinguish it from D ascorbic acid which is the enantiomer, or mirror image molecule, to L ascorbic acid. I guess it kind of is a marketing ploy, because D ascorbic acid is not bioavailabe to us, so it can’t (or shouldn’t) be marketed as a supplement anyway.
Manufactured ascorbic acid is actually very pure. If it is manufactured for supplement use, as opposed to being extracted from natural sources, it will be nearly 100% L ascorbic acid.
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Post by Aksel's Dad on Jun 24, 2022 5:26:22 GMT -5
You are right it has to do with the "shape" of the organic molecule. Different shapes can even have different flavours or smells. Organic chemistry is not one of absolutes, there is never ever any such thing as a 100% pure organic chemical at all. It is simply impossible for this to be true. This is why solid Glucose is allowed to be sold as 100% pure so long as it contains less than 40% "other sugars". One of the key reasons I do not ever recommend Glucose be given to any HFI person. Many thanks, as usual, Bill... The information about ascorbic acid, glucose and organic chemistry is very valuable. Not only for HFI patients but for everyone... |
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Post by Aksel's Dad on Jun 24, 2022 5:28:55 GMT -5
The L is nothing bad. It’s just a descriptor to distinguish it from D ascorbic acid which is the enantiomer, or mirror image molecule, to L ascorbic acid. I guess it kind of is a marketing ploy, because D ascorbic acid is not bioavailabe to us, so it can’t (or shouldn’t) be marketed as a supplement anyway. Manufactured ascorbic acid is actually very pure. If it is manufactured for supplement use, as opposed to being extracted from natural sources, it will be nearly 100% L ascorbic acid. Many thanks, Antonia. Organic chemistry seems to be an interesting universe of its own. |
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