Comparative Metabolic Response to Erythorbic Acid and Ascorbic Acid by the Human

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Abstract
Two load tests and one balance study were conducted to compare the physiological response of normal human subjects to oral intakes of L-ascorbic acid and erythorbic acid. The criteria followed were urinary return and plasma level of total ascorbic acid. Based on the load test studies, there is little difference in the blood plasma in terms of total ascorbic acid levels following the intake of the two isomers within a three-hour period. In the balance study, with L-ascorbic acid supplementation, the mean fasting plasma total ascorbic acid level was 1.03 mg/100 ml; the mean urinary return 15.3 mg/day. For these same subjects, receiving equal erythorbic acid supplementation, the mean fasting plasma total ascorbic acid level was 0.62 mg/100 ml; but the urinary return increased almost fivefold, 72.2 mg/day. When erythorbic acid was ingested, 50 to 70% of the test load was excreted, with most of this excretion occurring in the first 6 hours after ingestion.