Acerola juice and vitamin C absorption in healthy young men
What it found
In healthy young men, acerola juice led to slightly more vitamin C in the blood and less lost in urine compared with plain vitamin C.
The trial tested a single 50 mg dose.
What they found
Studies in people
Vitamin C in blood
After drinking acerola juice, the amount of vitamin C reaching the blood tended to be a little higher than after taking plain vitamin C alone. Both ways raised blood levels above fasting amounts.
Vitamin C in urine
Men who drank acerola juice passed noticeably less vitamin C in their urine at 1, 2 and 5 hours compared with those taking plain vitamin C. Over 6 hours, total urine loss was also lower with the juice.
Dose response for plain vitamin C
When men took plain vitamin C at doses of 50, 100, 200 or 500 mg, both blood and urine levels rose as the dose increased. Peak blood levels were reached between 1.5 and 3 hours after taking it.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that something in acerola juice helps the body absorb vitamin C into the blood while reducing how much is lost in urine.
- The authors say that working out exactly which parts of the juice do this will help people get the most benefit from vitamin C.
How it was done
Some plant compounds might change how well the body takes in vitamin C. Little was known about this in Japanese people, so the authors wanted to compare plain vitamin C with vitamin C from acerola juice.
Healthy Japanese men aged 22 to 26 fasted overnight, then took either plain vitamin C or diluted acerola juice containing 50 mg of vitamin C. Researchers collected their blood and urine for 6 hours afterward. Each test was separated by at least 14 days, and five or six men took part.
What it can’t tell you
- This trial only tested young, healthy Japanese men, so scientists do not yet know if women, older adults or other groups would see the same results.
- It measured just one dose over 6 hours, so it cannot show what happens when people drink acerola juice regularly over weeks or months.
The paper
- Title
- Absorption and excretion of ascorbic acid alone and in acerola (Malpighia emarginata) juice: comparison in healthy Japanese subjects
- Type
- Clinical trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Uchida E, Kondo Y, Amano A, et al (2011). Absorption and excretion of ascorbic acid alone and in acerola (Malpighia emarginata) juice: comparison in healthy Japanese subjects. Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin. doi:10.1248/bpb.34.1744Free full textPubMed 22040889DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error