Is Vitamin C an Immune System Booster?
Many people reach for a vitamin C supplement the moment they feel a cold coming on. But, if you’re wondering if this really works, or what vitamin C does for the body, and how does vitamin C may help the immune system? This is the article for you…
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin with powerful antioxidant effects. It can be rich in brightly colored plant foods, such as citrus fruits, kiwi, bell peppers, broccoli, and strawberries - along with many other fruits and vegetables. Many people are able to get enough vitamin C in their diet by consuming these foods, but research suggests supplementing beyond the recommended vitamin C daily dose may help prevent, shorten, or decrease the severity of colds.1,2
While vitamin C may have several important roles (such as collagen synthesis, wound healing, and iron absorption), many people are interested in it particularly for its effects on immune support. Let's dive into the topic of vitamin C and immune function, along with the best vitamin C supplement for the immune system.
Vitamin C's Role in Immune Function
The most well-known benefit of vitamin C is possibly its immune system modulating effect. Vitamin C is thought to have a number of immune-related roles, including:3
- White blood cell production and differentiation: Vitamin C may help the body to manufacture and differentiate white blood cells, including neutrophils, lymphocytes, and phagocytes – which all may be important, specialized immune cells.
- Antioxidant activity: Is vitamin C an antioxidant? Yes! Vitamin C can help to neutralize free radicals, which is thought to improve cellular health and support immune function.
- Strengthening the skin barrier: The skin is the body's largest immune organ and it’s commonly known as the first defense against pathogens. Due to its role in collagen synthesis, vitamin C may be extremely important for skin health.
- Reducing inflammation: Vitamin C may help to manage chronic inflammation. Since inflammation is an immune response, reducing a state of chronic inflammation can help support immune health.
Altogether, these vitamin C benefits can often offer some practical advantages to people who are consistently consuming enough of this vitamin through food and/or supplements. These benefits may include prevention of the common cold, as well as shortening their duration and severity.
However, according to most research, starting vitamin C when you're sick isn't the most helpful - you may need to have adequate daily vitamin C intake before you're exposed to disease-causing pathogens.2 Some people may choose to supplement with vitamin C seasonally or year-round, particularly if their diet isn't high in vitamin C-rich foods.
Antioxidant Properties and Immune Defense
In a way, all antioxidants can function as immune boosters.4,5
Oxidative stress may occur at a cellular level when cells are burdened with excessive free radicals from diet, water, medications, drugs, the environment, and more.
This can set off a cascade of immune reactions - most notably inflammation, which can be extremely damaging for health when it is sustained for long periods of time.
Antioxidants, however, can neutralize free radicals, helping to put a stop to the oxidative stress and inflammatory cycle.
Vitamin C and antioxidants, such as other compounds from fruits and vegetables can therefore be an important part of optimizing health.
Daily Intake Recommendations for Immunity
Getting to the details: how much vitamin C per day for women and men may be enough?
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), or the recommended vitamin C dosage for adults, is:1
- Women: 75 mg
- Men: 90 mg
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Pregnant and breastfeeding women: 85-120 mg
However, for immune support, it's often recommended to take higher doses.2
Alternatively, a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables of a variety of colors will almost always help you to meet your daily vitamin C needs. A balanced diet should also include other nutrients and compounds to support immune health and overall wellness, so it's usually better to start with diet first. If your diet isn't ideal or you don't have the means for consistently consuming a plant-rich, varied, and balanced diet, then supplements may be worthwhile consideration.
Liposomal Vitamin C vs. Non-liposomal Vitamin C
Supplement absorption regularly poses big problem for efficacy. Many supplements aren't thought to be designed very well, so they may get destroyed by your stomach acid before they're able to be absorbed into the blood vessels during the digestive process.
Liposomal vitamin C supplements are frequently designed specifically to prevent this. The vitamin C in liposomal vitamin C supplements is usually enclosed in liposomes, which are essentially envelopes that help transport the vitamin C safely through the digestive process and into the blood vessels - where it can then be carried to cells across the entire body.6
Liposomal vitamin C can benefit your health as well as your wallet since you can be fairly certain that the vitamin C that you take is reaching its intended target.
Supplementation: Benefits and Considerations
Vitamin C supplements often have numerous benefits. They may support the immune system in several ways, and also boosts the body's natural iron absorption, and can be necessary for collagen synthesis.
However, taking too much vitamin C at once can also lead to some uncomfortable side effects.
The Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for vitamin C is 2,000 milligrams. If you're wondering how much vitamin C is too much - that's it. More than 2,000 milligrams per day may cause digestive problems such as diarrhea and stomach upset.1
Speak to Your Doctor Before Starting a Vitamin C Supplement
If you have any concerns about vitamin C supplementation, it's important to speak with your doctor before starting it.
Certain people, such as those with iron overload syndrome, should be cautious of taking large doses of vitamin C.
Additionally, large doses in excess of 2,000 milligrams per day may cause diarrhea, so be mindful of how much supplemental vitamin C you are consuming each day.
The Best Vitamin C Supplement
If you're interested in supplementing with vitamin C, consider Body Kitchen's Vitamin C Shield.
It's made with liposomal vitamin C to ensure that it is well-absorbed, and it can optimally deliver a powerful 1,000 milligram dose of antioxidant vitamin C in each serving.
Additionally, it contains just three ingredients: vitamin C, rice bran concentrate, and the capsule.
If you have increased vitamin C needs, if you want to support your immune system through the sick season, and if you don't currently eat the daily recommended intake of fruits or vegetables, this vitamin C 1,000 mg supplement can be a great addition to your routine.
References
- https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10712193/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29099763/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10825471/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11366604/
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https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11519160/