ReviewNutrients2017
Vitamin C and Immune Function.
Review in Nutrients, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 850 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Role of Ascorbic Acid Infusion in Critically Ill Patients With Transfusion Related Acute Lung Injury
The Synergistic Action of Vitamins and Dietary Supplements in Patients With Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Improving the Quality of Healthcare Delivery.
Safety and Tolerability of Supratherapeutic Vitamin C Supplementation in Class A Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD A) Deficiency and Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD)
Who cites it
850 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,921 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clinical benefits and risks of high-dose intravenous vitamin C: a systematic review.Journal of medicine and life · 2026Pooled it
- The impact of vitamin C supplementation on the perioperative outcomes after total hip and knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Pooled it
- The Roles of Micronutrition and Nutraceuticals in Enhancing Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration: A Systematic Review.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Pooled it
- Micronutrient status of patients with diabetic foot: A systematic review.Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Enhanced Vitamin C Delivery: A Systematic Literature Review Assessing the Efficacy and Safety of Alternative Supplement Forms in Healthy Adults.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Does micronutrient supplementation improve outcomes in adult gastrointestinal surgery patients? A systematic review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- The role of nutritional and inflammatory markers in predicting postoperative complications after esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: mechanisms, clinical applications, and future perspectives.Frontiers in surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of AG1Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Trial
- Trial
- A single dose of cajuína does not improve leukocyte count, lipid peroxidation, and physical performance in runners: a randomized, crossover, double‑blind, placebo study.European journal of nutrition · 2025Trial
- Molecular modulation of cartilage graft survival: a systematic review and translational synthesis of local and systemic strategies.JPRAS open · 2026Review
- Association between patterns of circulating vitamin co-exposure and the prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis.Clinical rheumatology · 2026Article
- Balancing tuber vitamin C improvement with trade-off side effect by fine-tuning regulation ofHorticulture research · 2026Article
- Butia spp. Pulp: Composition, Antioxidant Properties, Biological Effects, and Food Applications.Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2026Review
- Vitamins and Chronic Wounds: How Altered Pharmacokinetics and Comorbidities Contribute to Vitamin Deficiencies.Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology · 2026Review
- Review
- Targeting Reactive Species Stress and Nutrient Sensing to Enhance NK-Cell Function: Mechanistic Strategies for Overcoming Pancreatic Cancer Progression and Resistance Through Supplement Therapy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Impaired healing following implant placement surgery: A case report of a modern-day manifestation of scurvy.Clinical advances in periodontics · 2026Article
- How Nutrient Deficiencies Impact the Oral Mucosa and How to Manage Them: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
790 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Vitamin C is an essential micronutrient for humans, with pleiotropic functions related to its ability to donate electrons. It is a potent antioxidant and a cofactor for a family of biosynthetic and gene regulatory enzymes. Vitamin C contributes to immune defense by supporting various cellular functions of both the innate and adaptive immune system. Vitamin C supports epithelial barrier function against pathogens and promotes the oxidant scavenging activity of the skin, thereby potentially protecting against environmental oxidative stress. Vitamin C accumulates in phagocytic cells, such as neutrophils, and can enhance chemotaxis, phagocytosis, generation of reactive oxygen species, and ultimately microbial killing. It is also needed for apoptosis and clearance of the spent neutrophils from sites of infection by macrophages, thereby decreasing necrosis/NETosis and potential tissue damage. The role of vitamin C in lymphocytes is less clear, but it has been shown to enhance differentiation and proliferation of B- and T-cells, likely due to its gene regulating effects. Vitamin C deficiency results in impaired immunity and higher susceptibility to infections. In turn, infections significantly impact on vitamin C levels due to enhanced inflammation and metabolic requirements. Furthermore, supplementation with vitamin C appears to be able to both prevent and treat respiratory and systemic infections. Prophylactic prevention of infection requires dietary vitamin C intakes that provide at least adequate, if not saturating plasma levels (i.e., 100-200 mg/day), which optimize cell and tissue levels. In contrast, treatment of established infections requires significantly higher (gram) doses of the vitamin to compensate for the increased inflammatory response and metabolic demand.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.