NutriStack
Activated Charcoal and Vitamin C, timing-sensitive.
Activated charcoal adsorbs ascorbic acid in the gut, lowering the fraction of an oral vitamin C dose that is absorbed.
One pair, every claim cited. The two substances, the type, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
Same shape as the other 1,729 pairs in the public database.
From the interaction database
What the row says.
Every entry follows the same shape: what is happening, the mechanism, the recommendation, and the primary literature.
At a glance
- Substances
- Activated Charcoal and Vitamin C
- Pair type
- Timing Sensitive
- Evidence (highest tier)
- Moderate
- Source citations
- 1 source
- Stack Score effect
- −5 to your Stack Score (per scored timing-sensitive row).
- Scope
- Supplement × Supplement
- Last verified
- May 30, 2026
Timing Sensitive · Moderate evidence
Timing Sensitive
What is happening. Activated charcoal adsorbs ascorbic acid in the gut, lowering the fraction of an oral vitamin C dose that is absorbed.
Mechanism. Vitamin C is a small organic molecule that binds readily to the high surface area of activated charcoal, so co-ingestion sequesters it in the lumen and reduces systemic uptake.
Recommendation. Take vitamin C at least 2 hours before or after activated charcoal so the charcoal does not bind the vitamin.
Minimum separation. 2 hours
Stack Score
How this pair moves the number.
Effect on the composite score
If both Activated Charcoal and Vitamin C are in the same stack, this pair applies −5 to your Stack Score (per scored timing-sensitive row).
The full algorithm, the clamping rules, and four worked stacks are documented at /methodology/stack-score.
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