
Healthy Vitamin C Range is 61-80 mmol/L
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Vitamin C In Disease States
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Mean Plasma Vitamin C Level (micromol/L)
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Diabetes
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42 mmol/L
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Gastritis
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46 mmol/L
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Pancreatitis
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33 mmol/L
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Pneumonia
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31 mmol/L
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Cancer
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< 24 mmol/L
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Trauma or sepsis (overwhelming infection)
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10 mmol/L
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Arthritis
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27 mmol/L
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Older adults are at ever-increasing risk of serious infections or cancers as their immune systems age.
An intact immune system relies upon many layers of protection from multiple cell types and a host of immunologically active signaling molecules.
The function of those specialized cells and molecules is being increasingly found to depend on adequate supplies of vitamin C in the body.
Roughly 23% of Americans have vitamin C depletion, causing their immune systems to not function properly.44
Studies show that doses of vitamin C at 1,000 mg per day can effectively restore function to myriad components of the immune system.
New studies confirm that vitamin C supplementation at 1,000 mg per day shortens the duration and mitigates the severity of colds, while also preventing colds from developing, especially in those with low vitamin C levels.
Take a 1,000 mg per day supplement to optimize your immunity and potentially lengthen your life.
Diabetes: Diabetes induces powerful oxidant stress throughout the body, leading to inflammation and loss of function. Studies now show that vitamin C status may influence the incidence of type II diabetes, the accelerated cognitive decline of diabetics, the anxiety, depression, and stress experienced by diabetics, and the risk of atrial fibrillation in diabetics.45-48
Cardiovascular disease: Heart disease and stroke have many causes, but oxidant damage and inflammation lead the pack.49-53 Studies now show vitamin C improves endothelial function (function of the active lining of blood vessels that controls blood flow and pressure) and potentially other areas of cardiovascular medicine.54-56
Anemia: There is evidence from animal studies that vitamin C can prevent the kind of anemia that arises from excessive iron, which can be seen in older adults. 57
Periodontal disease: Bleeding gums and tooth loss were common symptoms of scurvy that were readily reversed with vitamin C supplementation. Today’s scientists are demonstrating a role of vitamin C in preventing less obvious, but still important causes of tooth loss in older adults, such as gingivitis.58
Osteoporosis: Vitamin C is an absolute requirement for normal formation of bone proteins, and preliminary studies are showing the potential of the vitamin in preventing bone loss and fractures related to osteoporosis.59,60
Natural killer (NK) cells. These “hit men” of the immune system move in on infectious and malignant targets that have been identified as foreign by other immune system components. Like other immune cells, NK cells’ function declines with aging.21 Detailed scientific studies show that NK function improves in the presence of adequate vitamin C, and declines without it.22-24 Vitamin C helps NK cells track and destroy tumor cells as well by reducing the shielding effect of platelets (blood clotting cell fragments) that would prevent NK cells from destroying them. This effect may help to prevent cancers from producing deadly metastases.23
Neutrophils are the main immune system cell for fighting bacterial infections. Neutrophils engulf invading organisms, then destroy them with powerful blasts of short-lived oxygen free radicals. Vitamin C supports many aspects of neutrophil function, aiding in their ability to chase down bacterial targets and improving their ability to engulf and kill such targets.25,26 Since the bacterial killing process creates potent oxidation products, neutrophils would destroy themselves in short order without ample vitamin C, which scavenges up the dangerous oxidizing molecules once they have done their work to destroy the bacterial cell.25-27
A study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology showed that when human volunteers took an oral dose of 1,000 mg or more of vitamin C, neutrophils performed more vigorously than those of unsupplemented subjects.28
Improved function of neutrophils in the presence of adequate vitamin C is so evident that clinicians have begun to use vitamin C at 1,000 mg per day doses for people with chronic granulomatous disease, a disorder in which neutrophils lack proper killing ability once they have ingested bacteria.26,29 Similar improvements in neutrophil performance have been shown in the much larger population of people with asthma, another condition in which neutrophil impairment can worsen patients’ clinical status.26
Lymphocytes are immune system cells that produce antibodies (called B-lymphocytes) and coordinate with other immune cells to guide them towards threats needing destruction.8,30 When they detect such an incipient threat, lymphocytes rapidly reproduce in a proliferative response that is enhanced in the presence of vitamin C. In older adults, that proliferation is impaired, but vitamin C treatment restores them to youthful levels of function.8,31 Similar enhancements of lymphocyte proliferation have been demonstrated by supplementing aging laboratory animals with vitamin C, which also boosts lymphocytes’ ability to track down threats.32
Diabetes, like aging, impairs the production of lymphocytes and the functioning of T-lymphocytes.33,34 However, supplementing diabetic rats with vitamin C pushed lymphocyte production from 57% of that of controls to virtually 100% of control values, essentially creating “nondiabetic” immune cells within a living diabetic body.35
Antibodies are noncellular components of the immune system that help identify and destroy invading threats and cancerous cells.36 Vitamin C benefits this portion of the immune system by raising levels of three main classes of antibody immunoglobulins: IgA, which protects against infections mainly on mucosal surfaces, such as the respiratory and digestive tracts, IgG, which provides long-term protection in the bloodstream, and IgM, which is the earliest immunoglobulin to appear in blood in response to threats.37-40 Blood levels of antibodies and other protective molecules rose significantly when volunteers took 1,000 mg doses of vitamin C daily for 75 days, demonstrating the effect in humans.41
- Padayatty SJ, Katz A, Wang Y, et al. Vitamin C as an antioxidant: evaluation of its role in disease prevention. J Am Coll Nutr. 2003 Feb;22(1):18-35.
- Van der Loo B, Bachschmid M, Spitzer V, Brey L, Ullrich V, Luscher TF. Decreased plasma and tissue levels of vitamin C in a rat model of aging: implications for antioxidative defense. Biochem Biophys Res Comm. 2003 Apr 4;303(2):483-7.
- Lykkesfeldt J, Hagen TM, Vinarsky V, Ames BN. Age-associated decline in ascorbic acid concentration, recycling, and biosynthesis in rat hepatocytes–reversal with (R)-alpha-lipoic acid supplementation. FASEB J. 1998 Sep;12(12):1183-9.
- Wintergerst ES, Maggini S, Hornig DH. Immune-enhancing role of vitamin C and zinc and effect on clinical conditions. Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(2):85-94.
- Pavlovic V. A short overview of vitamin C and selected cells of the immune system. Cent. Eur. J. Med. 2010 October;8(1):1-10.
- Johnston CS, Barkyoumb GM, Schumacher SS. Vitamin C supplementation slightly improves physical activity levels and reduces cold incidence in men with marginal vitamin C status: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrients. 2014 Jul;6(7):2572-83.
- Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/pmh0063028. Accessed August 26, 2015.
- Delafuente JC, Prendergast JM, Modigh A. Immunologic modulation by vitamin C in the elderly. Int J Immunopharmacol. 1986;8(2):205-11.
- Berger TM, Polidori MC, Dabbagh A, et al. Antioxidant activity of vitamin C in iron-overloaded human plasma. J Biol Chem. 1997 Jun 20;272(25):15656-60.
- McGregor GP, Biesalski HK. Rationale and impact of vitamin C in clinical nutrition. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2006 Nov;9(6):697-703.
- Strohle A, Wolters M, Hahn A. Micronutrients at the interface between inflammation and infection–ascorbic acid and calciferol: part 1, general overview with a focus on ascorbic acid. Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets. 2011 Feb;10(1):54-63.
- Mikirova N, Hunninghake R. Effect of high dose vitamin C on Epstein-Barr viral infection. Med Sci Monit. 2014;20:725-32.
- Deruelle F, Baron B. Vitamin C: is supplementation necessary for optimal health? J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Dec;14(10):1291-8.
- Van Straten M, Josling P. Preventing the common cold with a vitamin C supplement: a double-blind, placebo-controlled survey. Advan Ther. 2002 May-Jun;19(3):151-9.
- Hemila H, Douglas RM. Vitamin C and acute respiratory infections. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 1999 Sep;3(9):756-61.
- Hemila H. Does vitamin C alleviate the symptoms of the common cold?–a review of current evidence. Scand J Infect Dis. 1994;26(1):1-6.
- Hemila H. Vitamin C and common cold incidence: a review of studies with subjects under heavy physical stress. Int J Sports Med. 1996 Jul;17(5):379-83.
- Falcone M, Russo A, Cangemi R, et al. Lower mortality rate in elderly patients with community-onset pneumonia on treatment with aspirin. J Am Heart Assoc. 2015;4(1).
- Ruiz LA, Zalacain R, Capelastegui A, et al. Bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia in elderly and very elderly patients: host- and pathogen-related factors, process of care, and outcome. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2014 Aug;69(8):1018-24.
- Deleidi M, Jaggle M, Rubino G. Immune aging, dysmetabolism, and inflammation in neurological diseases. Front Neurosci. 2015;9:172.
- Hazeldine J, Lord JM. The impact of ageing on natural killer cell function and potential consequences for health in older adults. Ageing Res Rev. 2013 Sep;12(4):1069-78.
- Heuser G, Vojdani A. Enhancement of natural killer cell activity and T and B cell function by buffered vitamin C in patients exposed to toxic chemicals: the role of protein kinase-C. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 1997 Aug;19(3):291-312.
- Toliopoulos IK, Simos YV, Daskalou TA, Verginadis, II, Evangelou AM, Karkabounas SC. Inhibition of platelet aggregation and immunomodulation of NK lymphocytes by administration of ascorbic acid. Indian J Exp Biol. 2011 Dec;49(12):904-8.
- Kim JE, Cho HS, Yang HS, et al. Depletion of ascorbic acid impairs NK cell activity against ovarian cancer in a mouse model. Immunobiology. 2012 Sep;217(9):873-81.
- Leibovitz B, Siegel BV. Ascorbic acid, neutrophil function, and the immune response. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1978;48(2):159-64.
- Anderson R. Effects of ascorbate on normal and abnormal leucocyte functions. Int J Vitam Nutr Res Suppl. 1982;23:23-34.
- Caldefie-Chezet F, Walrand S, Moinard C, Tridon A, Chassagne J, Vasson MP. Is the neutrophil reactive oxygen species production measured by luminol and lucigenin chemiluminescence intra or extracellular? Comparison with DCFH-DA flow cytometry and cytochrome c reduction. Int J Clic Chem. 2002 May 7;319(1):9-17.
- De la Fuente M, Ferrandez MD, Burgos MS, Soler A, Prieto A, Miquel J. Immune function in aged women is improved by ingestion of vitamins C and E. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 1998 Apr;76(4):373-80.
- Patrone F, Dallegri F, Bonvini E, Minervini F, Sacchetti C. Effects of ascorbic acid on neutrophil function. Studies on normal and chronic granulomatous disease neutrophils. Acta Vitaminol Enzymol. 1982;4(1-2):163-8.
- Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/nbk27118. Accessed August 26, 2015.
- Kennes B, Dumont I, Brohee D, Hubert C, Neve P. Effect of vitamin C supplements on cell-mediated immunity in old people. Gerontology. 1983;29(5):305-10.
- Alvarado C, Alvarez P, Jimenez L, De la Fuente M. Improvement of leukocyte functions in young prematurely aging mice after a 5-week ingestion of a diet supplemented with biscuits enriched in antioxidants. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2005 Sep-Oct;7(9-10):1203-10.
- DeFuria J, Belkina AC, Jagannathan-Bogdan M, et al. B cells promote inflammation in obesity and type 2 diabetes through regulation of T-cell function and an inflammatory cytokine profile. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Mar 26;110(13):5133-8.
- Martinez PJ, Mathews C, Actor JK, et al. Impaired CD4+ and T-helper 17 cell memory response to Streptococcus pneumoniae is associated with elevated glucose and percent glycated hemoglobin A1c in Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus. J Lab Clin Med. 2014 Jan;163(1):53-63.
- Ozerkan D, Ozsoy N, Cebesoy S. Response of thymus lymphocytes to streptozotocin-induced diabetes and exogenous vitamin C administration in ratsdagger. Microscopy (Oxf). 2014 Dec;63(6):409-17.
- Schwartz-Albiez R. Naturally occurring antibodies directed against carbohydrate tumor antigens. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2012;750:27-43.
- Corthesy B. Multi-faceted functions of secretory IgA at mucosal surfaces. Front Immunol. 2013;4:185.
- Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/nbk27162. Accessed August 26, 2015.
- Wang JP, Kim HJ, Chen YJ, et al. Effects of delta-aminolevulinic acid and vitamin C supplementation on feed intake, backfat, and iron status in sows. J Anim Sci. 2009 Nov;87(11):3589-95.
- Wang A, Xie F, Wang YH, Wu JL. Effects of vitamin C supplementation on growth performance and antioxidant status of layer ducklings. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2011 Aug;95(4):533-9.
- Prinz W, Bortz R, Bregin B, Hersch M. The effect of ascorbic acid supplementation on some parameters of the human immunological defence system. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 1977;47(3):248-57.
- Rebora A, Dallegri F, Patrone F. Neutrophil dysfunction and repeated infections: influence of levamisole and ascorbic acid. Br J Dermatol. 1980 Jan;102(1):49-56.
- Levy R, Shriker O, Porath A, Riesenberg K, Schlaeffer F. Vitamin C for the treatment of recurrent furunculosis in patients with imparied neutrophil functions. J Infect Dis. 1996 Jun;173(6):1502-5.
- Hampl JS, Taylor CA, Johnston CS. Vitamin C deficiency and depletion in the United States: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988 to 1994. Am J Pub Health. 2004 May;94(5):870-5.
- Garcia-Bailo B, El-Sohemy A, Haddad PS, et al. Vitamins D, C, and E in the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus: modulation of inflammation and oxidative stress. Biologics. 2011;5:7-19.
- Harding AH, Wareham NJ, Bingham SA, Khaw K, Luben R, Welch A, Forouhi NG. Plasma vitamin C level, fruit and vegetable consumption, and the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus: the European prospective investigation of cancer–Norfolk prospective study. Archives Int Med. 2008 Jul 28;168(14):1493-9.
- Dakhale GN, Chaudhari HV, Shrivastava M. Supplementation of vitamin C reduces blood glucose and improves glycosylated hemoglobin in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, double-blind study. Adv Pharmacol Sce. 2011;2011:195271.
- Afkhami-Ardekani M, Shojaoddiny-Ardekani A. Effect of vitamin C on blood glucose, serum lipids & serum insulin in type 2 diabetes patients. Indian J Med Res. 2007 Nov;126(5):471-4.
- Rodrigo R, Fernandez-Gajardo R, Gutierrez R, Matamala JM, Carrasco R, Miranda-Merchak A, Feuerhake W. Oxidative stress and pathophysiology of ischemic stroke: novel therapeutic opportunities. CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2013 Aug;12(5):698-714.
- Elkind MS. Princeton Proceedings: Inflammatory Mechanisms of Stroke. Stroke. 2010;41(10 Suppl):S3-S8.
- Black PH, Garbutt LD. Stress, inflammation and cardiovascular disease. J Psychom Res. 2002 Jan;52(1):1-23.
- Dhalla NS, Temsah RM, Netticadan T. Role of oxidative stress in cardiovascular diseases. J Hyperten. 2000 Jun;18(6):655-73.
- Csanyi G, Miller FJ, Jr. Oxidative stress in cardiovascular disease. Int J Molec Sci. 2014;15(4):6002-8.
- Ashor AW, Lara J, Mathers JC, Siervo M. Effect of vitamin C on endothelial function in health and disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Atherosclerosis. 2014 Jul;235(1):9-20.
- Shaik-Dasthagirisaheb YB, Varvara G, Murmura G, et al. Role of vitamins D, E and C in immunity and inflammation. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2013 Apr-Jun;27(2):291-5.
- Traber MG, Stevens JF. Vitamins C and E: beneficial effects from a mechanistic perspective. Free Radic Biol Med. 2011 Sep 1;51(5):1000-13.
- Chaturvedi R, Chattopadhyay P, Banerjee S, et al. Iron-rich drinking water and ascorbic acid supplementation improved hemolytic anemia in experimental Wistar rats. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2014 Nov;65(7):856-61.
- Alagl AS, Bhat SG. Ascorbic acid: New role of an age-old micronutrient in the management of periodontal disease in older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2014 Nov 19.
- Finck H, Hart AR, Jennings A, Welch AA. Is there a role for vitamin C in preventing osteoporosis and fractures? A review of the potential underlying mechanisms and current epidemiological evidence. Nutr Res Rev. 2014 Nov 21:1-16.
- Ruiz-Ramos M, Vargas LA, Fortoul Van der Goes TI, Cervantes-Sandoval A, Mendoza-Nunez VM. Supplementation of ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol is useful to preventing bone loss linked to oxidative stress in elderly. J Nutr Health Aging. 2010 Jun;14(6):467-72.