Does vitamin C help prevent and treat corona?

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps strengthen the immune system. You must have heard many times since your childhood that this vitamin is suitable for colds. But what about covid-19? Has the effect of vitamin C in the treatment of corona been proven or is it just a rumor? Since the corona virus is constantly mutating, more than 2 years after the emergence of this disease, the world is still in conflict with it. The seventh peak of Corona in Iran has also increased the number of infected and dead these days. In this article, we will talk to you about vitamin C and Covid-19.

What is vitamin C?

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that the human body cannot produce. With its antioxidant properties, this vitamin neutralizes the damage of free radicals and helps maintain the health of body cells. Vitamin C is also involved in many biochemical processes that are related to the immune system. If you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, you are unlikely to be deficient in vitamin C. Research has shown that taking vitamin C tablets or effervescent tablets can reduce the severity of cold symptoms and shorten the duration of the disease.

Table of recommended daily intake of vitamin C

Before we examine the effect of vitamin C in the treatment of Corona, you can see the amount recommended for daily consumption of vitamin C in the table below:

The maximum daily intake of vitamin C for adults is 2000 mg.

Vitamin C to strengthen the immune system

Vitamin C affects the health of the immune system in several ways. The antioxidant property of vitamin C reduces inflammation and improves the body’s defense function against pathogens. This vitamin increases the production of collagen in the body and by keeping the skin healthy, it helps to prevent harmful compounds from entering the body. Vitamin C also accelerates wound healing. Research has shown that this vitamin can increase the activity of phagocytes, which have the ability to destroy harmful bacteria.

The growth and expansion of lymphocytes also increases due to the appropriate levels of vitamin C in the body, antibodies increase and the damage of harmful external factors is prevented. In the studies conducted on the effect of vitamin C on colds, it does not seem that this vitamin can prevent colds. But it can help people get over a cold faster and reduce symptoms. Evidence shows that vitamin C in high doses can reduce lung inflammation in some respiratory diseases such as swine flu.

Be aware that research on taking high doses of vitamin C to improve lung inflammation is not complete. Therefore, you should not arbitrarily increase the consumption of this nutrient. High amounts of vitamin C in the form of tablets, effervescent tablets or intravenous injections can be associated with side effects such as diarrhea and cause digestive problems.

The effect of vitamin C in the treatment of corona

An article was published in a Chinese journal in which the Shanghai Medical Association approved the use of high-dose vitamin C as a treatment for hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Doses higher than the recommended daily intake are used to improve lung function and help the patient to require less mechanical ventilation. In addition, a 2019 study found that high-dose vitamin C treatment, either orally or intravenously, may be beneficial for critically ill patients admitted to the hospital ICU. According to this study, vitamin C in this case may reduce the length of stay in the ICU by 8% and reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation by 18.2%.

Other limited studies have also confirmed the effectiveness of vitamin C in the treatment of corona. Currently, high-dose vitamin C intake to improve lung function in people with COVID-19 is still being tested. But there is no evidence that vitamin C helps in the treatment of corona. Corona disease still has no definitive cure.

Should we take vitamin C tablets to deal with Corona?

As we mentioned, currently no reliable evidence confirms the effect of vitamin C in the treatment of corona with certainty. Vitamin C may reduce the severity and duration of the common cold, but it is not known whether it has the same effect on COVID-19. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. This means that its excess amounts are not stored in the body and are excreted through urine. Taking too much vitamin C in the form of supplements does not mean that the body will absorb more of it. Vitamin C pills in high doses may even cause diarrhea because they can signal your body to pull water out of the cells and into the digestive tract.

Based on research, the use of vitamin C in high doses seems promising for the treatment of Covid-19. But be careful that these doses are given through IV and not orally. In addition, this treatment is done only in cases where the person needs to be admitted to the hospital. In order to increase the levels of vitamin C in the body and strengthen the immune system, fill your diet with fruits and vegetables. Secondly, you can go to consume and buy vitamin C pills or buy multivitamin pills. But again, we emphasize that you should never arbitrarily increase the dose of vitamin C.

Necessary measures to prevent corona

If you are looking for preventive measures to stay safe from COVID-19, doctors suggest the following solutions:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a sanitary mask, especially when you are in close contact with others or in public.
• Wash your hands regularly with warm water and soap. Hands must be washed before eating, after going to the bathroom, after shaking hands with others, and before touching the face.
• When washing hands with soap is not possible, use an alcohol-based disinfectant solution.
• Try to keep a distance of about 2 meters from others in public places.
• Cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Disinfect surfaces that are regularly touched by different people.

If you have suspected symptoms of corona, stay at home and quarantine yourself.

last word

In this article, we examined the effect of vitamin C in the treatment of corona. Due to its antioxidant properties, vitamin C acts as an anti-inflammatory and is effective in strengthening the immune system. But its effectiveness in preventing or treating covid-19 has not been confirmed and it should not be used in high amounts. If you are deficient in vitamin C, you can visit Positive Green online pharmacy to buy effervescent vitamin C tablets.