Overview of the possible role of vitamin C in management of COVID-19

Overview of the possible role of vitamin C in management of COVID-19 — The Fascia Guide

Key takeaways

01This 2020 review explores vitamin C for COVID-19
02Infection can deplete the body's vitamin C levels
03High doses may have antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects
04Considered a safe, low-cost supportive therapy option

High-dose vitamin C was considered a potential, low-risk supportive therapy for COVID-19 due to its anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties.

Abstract

The mainstay of management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is mainly supportive as to date there is no effective antiviral treatment, apart from remdesivir which has been approved by Food and Drug administration (FDA) for treatment of COVID-19, or vaccine. Supplementation with micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, has gained an increasing interest as part of the supportive management of COVID-19. Vitamin C levels in serum and leukocytes are depleted during the acute stage of infection owing to increased metabolic demands. High-dose vitamin C supplement helps to normalise both serum and leukocytes vitamin C levels. Vitamin C has multiple pharmacological characteristics, antiviral, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, which make it a potential therapeutic option in management of COVID-19. The use of high dose of intravenous vitamin C for management of COVID-19 in China and the United Stated has shown promising results. There were no reported adverse reactions with the short-term use of high dose of vitamin C. Given the fact that vitamin C is cheap, available and safe drug with beneficial effects in management of viral infections and critically ill patients reported in previous clinical trials, it is sensible to add it to COVID-19 management protocol particularly if the current ongoing clinical trials testing the effect of vitamin C in management of COVID-19 show positive results.

Cite this study

APA: Anis Abobaker, Aboubaker Alzwi, & Alsalheen Hamed A Alraied (2020). Overview of the possible role of vitamin C in management of COVID-19. https://fasciaresearchdatabase.com/overview-of-the-possible-role-of-vitamin-c-in-management-of-covid-19/
MLA: Anis Abobaker, et al. "Overview of the possible role of vitamin C in management of COVID-19." 2020, https://fasciaresearchdatabase.com/overview-of-the-possible-role-of-vitamin-c-in-management-of-covid-19/.
Chicago: Anis Abobaker, Aboubaker Alzwi, Alsalheen Hamed A Alraied. 2020. "Overview of the possible role of vitamin C in management of COVID-19.". https://fasciaresearchdatabase.com/overview-of-the-possible-role-of-vitamin-c-in-management-of-covid-19/