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    “assume that topsoil was more nutrient dense than it often is now, making fruit less nutrient potent.”
    No doubt, and this is a prime argument for mineral supplementation. Might be true for C content also? I wonder if there’s any indication for what ancestral vitamin C levels were. Or healthy tribes we have studied in modern times.

    In any case, if we are supplementing to the limits of what our bodies will actually accept in food, then the question is why do we have to work so hard to overcome our natural limits? Did we evolve to need liposomal C for optimal health? Are we forcing the issue with a “more is better” mentality without an adequate understanding of the larger dynamics?

    The idea of going with food-sourced (super-foods included) nutrition versus isolated elements in supplements has been a key point with Rhonda. Not rigid, but an orientation that makes good sense.

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      I’m a long time Pauling fan, less so post Rath, however. I think whole C with all the co-factors is optimal. I think ascorbic acid is kind of like the molecular shell. If I’m sick (very rare) I’ll make liposomal C. Also, I assume that topsoil was more nutrient dense than it often is now, making fruit less nutrient potent.

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        Great, thanks! Two counter-point thoughts to consider-

        1) We are starting to understand the ROS are not just terrible bad enemies of life, but like everything else, integral to our system. The ROS seem to play a role as signalers. A balance between ROS and anti-oxidant levels may promote better health than simply hammering our bodies with anti-oxidants with no regard for the value of ROS in the dynamic? Rhonda did address this to a degree here with the discussion on exercise and blunting of beneficial effects and the linked research.

        2) How do we reconcile historical dietary levels of C in the course of evolution with the idea of forcing huge over-supplies of it on our systems? Again, are we so sure that pushing for higher than an ancestral diet would provide is better for us on a daily basis?

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          “are we so sure that pushing for higher than an ancestral diet would provide is better for us on a daily basis?” Great question. Would the maximum natural blood plasma level from oral intake be the optimal self-leveling amount?