Vitamin C is essential water-soluble vitamin; our bodies don’t make it so we have to get a new supply daily. In general It protects us from oxidative stress, the normal “wear and tear” process of living. Some other functions of vitamin C include the following(1):
- Maintaining our epithelial barriers – which means it protects us from the outside world (think COVID19 virus and other pathogens, and leaky gut – aka intestinal permeability)
- Our immune natural killer (NK) cells depend upon vitamin C for their optimal function and movements as they travel through the body protecting us from foreign invaders.
- Our immune macrophages depend upon vitamin C for their optimal function as they travel through the body cleaning up debris – “taking out the trash” to minimize inflammatory responses.
- Our immune T- and B- cells depend upon vitamin C for their optimal function as they target microbial killing to defend our bodies.
While there are NO known clinical trials using vitamin C for preventing or treating or curing COVID19, China is actively doing a clinical trial concluding in Sept, 2020 with it.(7)
The important factor with vitamin C is that since our bodies don’t make it, we must come up with a regular routine of supplying the body with good doses daily. And then we have to ensure our digestion is running optimally so we can absorb the nutrients we need. According to USDA, the daily recommended intake for vitamin C for adults is 75mg (females) or 90mg (males) and much lower for babies and children. Sufferers of malabsorption, macular degeneration, certain diseases, and smokers would need more. Some great food sources include:
There are minimal health risks from excessive vitamin C (GI issues), however there may be medication interactions with vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C and other antioxidant use while undergoing cancer treatment is controversial at this time. Always seek the help from your doctor before making dietary changes.
