Vitamin C – always at the forefront against seasonal ailments

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a precious ally for our immune system, so much so that it is widely used during cold periods to help prevent and combat seasonal ailments. 

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, antioxidant, and essential cofactor for several biological processes. We humans are unable to synthesize vitamin C, so we must obtain it through our diet.

The average requirement for vitamin C is approximately 90 mg/day for men and 80 mg/day for women but the Swiss Society of Nutrition in collaboration with a group of experts recommended a daily dosage of at least 200 mg to strengthen the immune system. 

Vitamin C has important properties:

• anti-inflammatory
• immunomodulators
• antioxidants
• antithrombotic
• antivirals

In particular, it shows a direct virucidal action, an activity which, according to recent studies, is enhanced by the presence of copper. 

Why does vitamin C help prevent seasonal ailments?

• Thanks to its antioxidant effects, it prevents damage from oxidative stress in all cells, including those of the immune system.
• A vitamin C deficiency leads to a decreased functioning of the immune system in terms of recruiting immune cells to the site of infection.
• intervenes in the development and maturation processes of T lymphocytes and in the functions of phagocytosis.
• It has anti-inflammatory effects as it reduces reactive oxygen species, the cause of many inflammatory phenomena, and intervenes in the regulation of some signaling pathways involved in the development of the inflammatory response.
  
  

THE Plasma vitamin C levels in humans decline rapidly under conditions of physiological stress, including infection, trauma, and surgery, often resulting in gross vitamin C deficiency in hospitalized patients.

Vitamin C and Covid-19

Recent Studies conducted on patients with COVID-19 pneumonia have shown that these patients had much lower vitamin C levels than healthy controls (23 µmol/L versus 56 µmol/L). 

It should be highlighted, according to the results of recent studies, that with specific reference to the critical phase of COVID-19, vitamin C contributes to the downregulation of cytokines, protecting the endothelium from oxidative damage and plays an essential role in tissue repair.

The antioxidant and tissue-repairing properties of vitamin C make it very useful not only for systemic administration but also for topical application. For example, in the case of seasonal ailments such as colds and flu that involve the nasal mucosa, topical administration Vitamin C gel can help soothe inflammation of the nasal mucosa and contribute to rapid healing.

By exerting direct antiviral activity, when administered topically together with copper and other antiviral components such as quercetin, vitamin C can help fight cold and flu viruses.

In vitro studies, in fact, have shown how a multi-drug approach with quercetin and vitamin C can interrupt viral entry, replication, enzymatic activity and assembly and, at the same time, strengthen the immune response by promoting early IFN production, modulating interleukins, promoting T-lymphocyte maturation and phagocytic activity. 

References

• Abdullah M, Jamil RT, Attia FN. Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid). 2021 Jun 15. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan–.
• Holford P, Carr AC, Jovic TH, Ali SR, Whitaker IS, Marik PE, Smith AD. Vitamin C-An Adjunctive Therapy for Respiratory Infection, Sepsis and COVID-19. Nutrients. 2020 Dec 7;12(12):3760.
• Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017 Nov 3;9(11):1211.
• Boretti A, Banik BK. Intravenous vitamin C for reduction of cytokines storm in acute respiratory distress syndrome. PharmaNutrition. 2020;12:100190.
• Colunga Biancatelli RML, Berrill M, Catravas JD, Marik PE. Quercetin and Vitamin C: An Experimental, Synergistic Therapy for the Prevention and Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Related Disease (COVID-19). Front Immunol. 2020 Jun 19;11:1451.