From Pauling’s theories to the present, considerable understanding has been acquired of both the physiological role of vitamin C and of the impact of vitamin C supplementation on the health. Although it is well known that a balanced diet which satisfies the daily intake of vitamin C positively affects the immune system and reduces susceptibility to infections, available data do not support the theory that oral vitamin C supplements boost immunity. No current clinical recommendations support the possibility of significantly decreasing the risk of respiratory infections by using high-dose supplements of vitamin C in a well-nourished general population. Only in restricted subgroups (e.g., athletes or the military) and in subjects with a low plasma vitamin C concentration a supplementation may be justified. Furthermore, in categories at high risk of infection (i.e., the obese, diabetics, the elderly, etc.), a vitamin C supplementation can modulate inflammation, with potential positive effects on immune response to infections. The impact of an extra oral intake of vitamin C on the duration of a cold and the prevention or treatment of pneumonia is still questioned, while, based on critical illness studies, vitamin C infusion has recently been hypothesized as a treatment for COVID-19 hospitalized patients. In this review, we focused on the effects of vitamin C on immune function, summarizing the most relevant studies from the prevention and treatment of common respiratory diseases to the use of vitamin C in critical illness conditions, with the aim of clarifying its potential application during an acute SARS-CoV2 infection.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Pneumonia, viral infections, immune function, Athletes, non-communicable diseases, vitamin C supplementation, frail elderly subjects, 【초록키워드】 Treatment, Inflammation, immune response, susceptibility, Vitamin C, Infection, risk, immune system, hospitalized patients, SARS-CoV2 infection, respiratory infection, Health, infections, Respiratory disease, plasma, General population, Critical, Concentration, physiological, high risk, Support, subgroup, High-dose, available data, diabetics, subject, obese, positive, Effect, Affect, recommendation, boost immunity, significantly, modulate, reduce, category, conditions, treatment for COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 prevention, Vitamin, AID, Cold, history, common, Long, Potential,