In my last article, we looked at the meta-analysis by Hemila and Chalker that concluded vitamin C significantly lessens the duration and severity of the common cold. Their review relied on studies with doses of 1-2 grams. However, many times in my personal experience, I have used much higher doses than this to completely knock out colds, not merely ameliorate them, and even the flu as well. (more on this later) But I ran out of space to talk about why it does so. The answer is both fascinating and informative as to the power of this simple molecule to both prevent and treat viral infections of every kind.
The principal function of vitamin C is as a powerful reducing agent. This is biochemistry-nerd talk for a chemical that can donate electrons readily. In the case of vitamin C, it can donate two electrons. This is what nutritionists mean when they say vitamin C is an antioxidant.
An oxidant is a chemical that steals electrons from another molecule and can often damage or change the molecule in this process, which is called oxidation. Excess oxidation that isn’t properly balanced out by a reducing agent can cause oxidative stress or oxidative damage (think of iron rusting away). Since human bodies are exposed to constant oxidative stress from environmental toxins and our own metabolism, we evolved a supremely delicate balance of various nutrients in the antioxidant defense system. These include vitamin E, niacin, and glutathione which readers might have heard of-but it all hinges on vitamin C. Vitamin C comes to the rescue donating its electrons to the oxidized molecules inside our cells , and reduces them back to their original state, protecting them from damage.
I wanted to talk about vitamin C as an antioxidant because this is vital to how it combats viruses like the common cold, flu, and COVID-19 because of the antioxidant function C plays in our white blood cells. The human body uses leukocytes, also known as white blood cells, to fight off infections of various kinds. These include neutrophils, basophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, etc. What is less commonly known, is that the various leukocytes store vitamin C at a rate 50x to 100x higher than blood plasma and use it in their defense against microbes. (1)
Let’s begin our discussion with neutrophils. They serve the immune system by directly destroying invading enemies. They engulf a microbe such as a bacteria or a virus and then hit it with an ‘oxidative burst’ which means the cell generates a chemical such as hydrogen peroxide or peroxynitrite that induces ‘oxidative stress’ on the microbe and kills it. Check out the graphic below which shows how this works. Vitamin C helps the neutrophils in every step from getting to the infecting microbe (chemotaxis) to engulfing it (phagocytosis) to generating the oxidating chemical to attack the microbe (ros), to protecting the neutrophil itself from being destroyed by its own chemical assault on the invader. (1)(2)
Because vitamin C is used in every step of the neutrophil’s attack against a danger, humans are quickly depleted of vitamin C when fighting off an infection. This is because C is destroyed and then excreted out of the body when it neutralizes the oxidative attack of the nuetraphil. When this occurs, the neutrophils lose their ability to fight off the infection and the infection spreads rapidly. This in turn makes us more open to secondary infections such as pneumonia, to which seniors are particularly vulnerable, and is a leading cause of death in a hospitable or nursing home. Any condition that taxes the immune system or causes inflammation leads to a reduction in the body’s vitamin C which in turn makes that body more susceptible to further infection in a vicious cycle. (1)
However, the good news, as reported in depth in last week’s post, is that simply supplementing gram doses of vitamin C, will restore the neutrophil’s function and get them back in the fight and lead to reduction in cold and flu severity. I have observed from much personal experience, that it is most helpful to take C at the very beginning of the cold or flu, from right when one first starts to feel run down or congested. This way you can prevent the infection from really setting in and the body will have a much easier time getting rid of it. I have taken as much as 40 grams, yes grams no typo, on the first day of a cold or the flu, and then it's gone in 24-48 hours. Or if it's not gone, it becomes so mild that it causes little to no inconvenience.
Neutrophils are only the beginning of the human body’s use of vitamin C in the immune system. Lymphocytes are another leukocyte that also store huge amounts of vitamin C and utilize it for the proliferation of B cells and T cells which are so critical to the innate immune system. In addition to this vitamin C promotes natural killer cells which help us to fight off cancer. The dermis and epidermis (skin) store large amounts of C to help with the simple barrier function against infection agents that the skin provides. The amount of C in the skin also increases with supplementation. This is one reason why people who take vitamin C tend to have healthier-looking skin and skin that heals from wounds faster than those who do not. (1)
I could easily go on for another 1000 words on this topic but really I just wanted to introduce it briefly. There could be (and have been) entire books written about this. The bottom line is that having a diet deficient in vitamin C increases one’s risk enormously of contracting infections of every kind. This is the case for most Americans on the typical American diet heavy in processed and prepackaged foods. (3) This is especially true for smokers as tobacco use depletes the lungs of vitamin C very quickly. Smokers need double the RDA of vitamin C (about 160 mg per day) to avoid lung damage yet most Americans don’t even get half of this in their diet. (3) Furthermore, conditions of chronic inflammation such as diabetes, obesity, or metabolic syndrome (which together affect about 50 million Americans) will deplete the vitamin C levels and increase susceptibility to infection, especially of the respiratory system. Seniors in nursing homes are especially vulnerable as blood testing of this population often reveals near scurvy levels which is defined as less than .02 mg/dl.(3)
My personal situation was no different than the examples I mention above being very overweight and probably having metabolic syndrome for much of my 20’s and 30’s. I would get a minimum of two, usually three, crippling respiratory infections every year and miss weeks of work. In addition to this, I had chronic sinusitis and had tried everything from surgery to allergy shots. Nothing worked. I was cured for good of both conditions when I learned about high-dose vitamin C supplementation. I haven’t had a respiratory infection (with the notable exception of Covid-19) in the last ten years and my allergies went from crippling to quite easily managed and controlled. It was like a miracle.
Now, 10 years later, I very rarely get a cold or flu. If I do it will be so mild that I don’t even notice it. I believe vitamin C has reduced inflammation in my body and given my immune system what it needed to prevent and fight off infection and also my chronic, lifelong allergies. I’ll be writing about how to take vitamin C in high doses in future posts giving very precise instructions, so readers can experience similar turnarounds in their health. Vitamin C has completely changed my life and I know it can do the same for anyone reading this-stay tuned!
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Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor. The information in this article does not constitute medical advice and is not intended to diagnose or treat a disease. Readers should speak with their personal medical professional before acting on any of the information discussed.
1. Authors: Carr, A.C.; Maggini, S. Publication Date: (2017, November 3) Title of Article: Vitamin C and Immune Function Journal Name: Nutrients Volume: 9 Issue: 11 Page Range: 1211 DOI: 10.3390/nu9111211 PMCID: PMC5707683 PMID: 29099763
2. “Micronutrient Information Center: Vitamin C Summary”https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-C#summary University of Oregon Linus Pauling Institute accessed 5-24-2024
3. Authors: Brauchla, M.; Dekker, M.J.; Rehm, C.D. Publication Date: (2021, January 28) Title of Article: Trends in Vitamin C Consumption in the United States: 1999–2018 Journal Name: Nutrients Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Page Range: 420 DOI: 10.3390/nu13020420 PMCID: PMC7911690 PMID: 33525516
Hi Kevin, for long-haul COVID, did you do anything besides the ascorbic acid powder?
In spite of regular supplementation (500mg x 3 or 4 a day) I tested in the past low on Vit C. I get IV's weekly for b12, b complex, GSH sometimes NAD. (Im mthfr++1298C. Tend to anemia esp post C-V. She doesn't always put in C strangely thus I make sure I supplemnt. Do you have any clue why. I haven't gotten to read the entire article yet. I apologize if the info is in there. I just find it v. strange that I blow thru C like this. TYVM, A LONG TIME avid follower .
Oh another thing, I ended up with pseudogout when I was doing a C and Niacin trial. Thus I'm really careful. IV doesn't bother me but shes not usings grams. TIA Cee Cee