Turn flab into firm

News: 60% of women over 50 aren’t getting enough vitamin C to trigger fat burn. The fix: A new form of the vitamin doubles absorption to simultaneously burn fat and build muscle— without exercise!

Lose 43 pounds this month

When you sit down to lunch today, what will you have? If you’re anything like us, it’s probably not the same thing you ate in your 20s—or the same amount. Many women over 40 have traded sandwiches for soup over the years just to avoid a pileup of excess pounds. And yet we still gain. What gives?

When we’re younger, we have plenty of lean muscle, explains

Amy Myers, M.D. “Having a higher percentage of lean muscle can triple your metabolism because muscle burns more calories than fat.”

But women lose about 1% of their muscle tissue each year—a loss that accelerates after age 40. So by age 60, most women have lost 20% of total muscle mass. The result: a sluggish metabolism and increased fat storage.

New research reveals that vitamin C can reverse this age-related metabolism slowdown. A U.K. study published in The Journal of Nutrition showed that women who consumed the most C had the highest levels of lean muscle mass; those who got less of the vitamin had the lowest. “Vitamin C is used for making carnitine,” explains study co-author Ailsa Welch, Ph.D., a professor of

Keeps you safer from colds, flu

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nutritional epidemiology at Norwich Medical School. “It is a crucial substance that provides energy for muscles and collagen, a structural component of muscle.”

The problem: It’s difficult to get enough vitamin C from traditional supplements. “Because vitamin C is water-soluble, it can’t penetrate fatty tissue naturally,” says Dr. Myers. “It also has a poor rate of absorption.” Indeed, studies suggest that only 15% of vitamin C from a traditional capsule is absorbed. So if you’re taking the Recommended Dietary Allowance of 75 mg., you may only be absorbing 11 mg.—that’s 94% less vitamin C than the subjects with the most metabolismrevving muscle in the U.K. study got.

The good news: A breakthrough form of vitamin C called

liposomal C dramatically improves absorbability. Liposomes are like little fat bubbles that surround vitamin C as it travels through the body, allowing it to pass by the gut without being broken down so it can get where it’s needed most—in cells. “Liposomes are made up of phospholipids, the same substances that make up cell membranes, so the vitamin is absorbed in cells much faster,” explains Pauline Jose, M.D., a clinical instructor at UCLA. The payoff, according to Dr. Myers: “The absorption rate of liquid liposomal vitamin C is 135% that of traditional vitamin C.”

Increase vitamin C absorption, and metabolism soars. The proof: In a University of Colorado at Boulder study, adults over 60 who were given daily vitamin C burned 100 more calories per day without making any other changes, while in an Arizona State University study, having optimal levels of vitamin C was shown to boost levels of the fat-burning compound carnitine by 30%. “We knew that people with high concentrations of vitamin C in their blood have less body fat and weigh less. This explains why,” asserts Carol Johnston, Ph.D., who worked on the study. “Women who take enough C are oxidizing more fat, so over time you should see their body fat decrease significantly.” The results speak for themselves, says 51-yearold Traci Downey, who lost 109 lbs. supplementing with C daily. “I was shocked. I thought my scale was wrong,” she recalls. “I feel like I’ve found me again!”

Weight loss is just the beginning. Most importantly in these days of increased risk for flu, pneumonia and COVID-19, vitamin C helps strengthen the immune system. “It supports the body’s defenses against viruses and bacteria,” says Dr. Myers. “It also promotes vascular health, which protects the integrity of the gut, where 80% of the immune system is housed.” Adds Dr. Jose, “Vitamin C helps lower high blood pressure and cholesterol, regulate moods and prevent chronic illnesses. It’s also important for strong bones, wound healing and healthy gums.”

Ready to start your journey to slim and healthy? Read on!

“Women who take enough vitamin C see their body fat decrease

significantly” —Carol Johnston, Ph.D., ASU study

co-author