Vitamin C improves gut Bifidobacteria in humans

Numerous beneficial effects of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplementation have been reported in the literature. However, data on its effects toward the gut microbiome are limited. We assessed the effect of vitamin C supplementation on the abundance of beneficial bacterial species in the gut microbiome. Stool samples were analyzed for relative abundance of gut microbiome bacteria using next-generation sequencing-based profiling and metagenomic shotgun analysis. Supplementation with vitamin C increased the abundance of bacteria of the genus (p = 0.0001) and affected various species. The beneficial effects of vitamin C supplementation may be attributed to modulation of the gut microbiome and the consequent health benefits thereof.