Erythorbic acid

Studies in people

• No harm found

  Vitamin C levels in women¹

  Eating erythorbic acid did not change young women's vitamin C levels, and it left the body quickly.

• Open question

  Vitamin C blood tests²

  Eating erythorbic acid in food can make blood tests show higher vitamin C than you really have.

• Benefit

  Iron absorption from food³

  In 10 women, erythorbic acid added to iron-fortified cereal increased iron absorption.

How it’s made and used

• Daily intake limits⁴

  In Italy, people are unlikely to take in more erythorbic acid than the recommended daily limit.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

• UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1990

  No daily limit needed (“ADI not specified”, JECFA’s term for very low toxicity).