Vitamin C supplementation reduces the odds of developing a common cold in Republic of Korea Army recruits: randomised controlled trial

Abstract

IntroductionThe Republic of Korea (ROK) military has a high incidence of respiratory diseases at training centres. Vitamin C has been reported to reduce the incidence of colds. For the purpose of preventing soldiers' respiratory diseases, this study aimed to investigate whether vitamin C intake can prevent common colds in the ROK Army soldiers.MethodsThis was a randomised, placebo-controlled, and double-blind trial of soldiers who enlisted in the Korea Army Training Centre for 30 days from 12 February to 13 March 2018. The study participants were divided into groups (vitamin C vs placebo). The military medical records were searched to determine whether the participants had a common cold. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the association between vitamin C intake and diagnosis of common colds. In addition, subgroup analysis on the relationship between vitamin C intake and common cold according to smoking status, training camp and physical rank was conducted.ResultsA total of 1444 participants were included in our study. Of these participants, 695 received vitamin C (6000 mg/day, vitamin C group), while 749 participants received placebo (0 mg/day, placebo group). The vitamin C group had a 0.80-fold lower risk of getting a common cold than did the placebo group. Subgroup analyses showed that this effect was stronger among subjects in camp A, among never smokers and among those in physical rank 3.ConclusionVitamin C intake provides evidence to suggest that reducing the common colds in Korean Army soldiers. Our results may serve as a basis for introducing military healthcare policies that can provide vitamin C supplementation for military personnel in basic military training.

Can early and high intravenous dose of vitamin C prevent and treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)?

“…Indeed, dietary antioxidants (VC and sulforaphane) were shown to decrease oxidative stress induced acute inflammatory lung injury in patients receiving mechanical ventilation [15]. In addition, oral VC (e.g., 6 g daily) was able to reduce viral infection risk [16] or to improve symptoms [17].…”

Diet Supplementation, Probiotics, and Nutraceuticals in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Scoping Review

“…On the other hand, randomized trials demonstrated that supplementation of vitamin C has positive effects on symptoms and on the duration of respiratory tract infections. Additionally, several data suggest that vitamin C can prevent pneumonia and improve its outcome, as well as other infections [ 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 ].…”

Repositioning Vitamin C as a Promising Option to Alleviate Complications associated with COVID-19

“…Vitamin C has been proven to suppress the NFκB pathway in septic Gulo knockout mice [ 40 ] and modulate cytokine production [ 41 ]. Leukocytes isolated from vitamin C-treated guinea pigs expressed perfect chemotactic functions compared to control one [ 42 ].…”

“…Similar findings were observed among patients with severe influenza. In addition, oral vitamin C (6 g daily) was able to improve symptoms or reduce viral infection risk [ 41 100 ]. A recent Chinese study in severe COVID-19 patients has revealed the successful implementation of high dose intravenous vitamin C (10 - 20 g/day) in 50 patients, where the oxygenation index was normalized in real-time, thereby all patients recovered and were released after a certain period [ 110 ].…”