'Taking large doses of vitamin C tablets would be very unlikely to protect you from COVID-19—unless you were actually vitamin C deficient,' Prof. Peter McCaffery told Newsweek.
Large doses of vitamin C are being administered to patients in intensive care at certain hospitals in New York,They confirmed reports that patients testing positive with COVID-19 were in some cases being treated with large doses of vitamin C—among other drugs—at their clinics.
The antioxidant is being administered intravenously in quantities far exceeding the daily recommended dose, which is 90 milligrams for men and 75 milligrams for women as recommended by the National Institutes of Health. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A and D, can be quite toxic at high doses, but vitamin C is reasonably safe as it is easily excreted, Peter McCaffery, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Aberdeen in the U.K., told. It is also known that intravenous vitamin C is relatively safe when applied under clinical supervision, McCaffery added. "I have to hope that this, or any new idea, may help," McCaffery said."Just to reiterate though, taking large doses of vitamin C tablets would be very unlikely to protect you from COVID-19—unless you were actually vitamin C deficient, which with a normal diet is quite rare."The effectiveness of intravenous vitamin C as a treatment for—or buffer against—COVID-19 is not established with solid clinical evidence. Rumors spreading online about vitamin C's potential to treat the symptoms of coronavirus, or even prevent them from developing in the first place, have beenAccording to the Mayo Clinic, a certain amount of vitamin C is needed to perform various bodily functions, from forming blood vessels and other tissue to the absorption of iron. In high doses the antioxidant has the potential to cause adverse reactions, such as nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain. But perhaps most significantly in this case, the vitamin plays a role in the body's healing process. It can protect cells against harmful free radicals, which are found in cigarette smoke, air pollution and fried foods among other things, and may cause a number of health problems, including cancer and heart disease. Aside from observations, there is little scientific data on how large doses of vitamin C might affect COVID-19. There have been studies looking at its effectiveness against the common cold, some cases of which are caused by another virus from the broader coronavirus family. Some of the more promising studies suggest it can lessen the severity of common cold symptoms and reduce the number of days it takes to recover.of 29 studies involving more than 11,000 people was published in 2013 examining the effects of vitamin C on common cold symptoms. The researchers found supplements reduced the duration of colds in adults by 8 percent and in children by 14 percent. The most noticeable effects were seen in people who are extremely active, such as marathon runners, where the duration of colds was essentially halved. Researchers are looking at what benefit, if any, vitamin C might have on COVID-19 patients. Scientists at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan, China, have begun a clinical trial to determine just that, but no results have yet been published. The completion date is scheduled for the end of September, 2020, when they hope to have shown that vitamin C reduces the inflammatory effects of the disease in the lung. If successful, this action would be, in part, due to the antioxidant effect of vitamin C, said McCaffery. "Even if intravenous vitamin C works to shorten or cure COVID-19, it will likely only be a stop-gap before therapies directed at the virus, such as vaccinations, take over," he wrote in a piece for
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Act like you have COVID-19': PM Ardern says as New Zealand heads into lockdown'Act like you have COVID-19': Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says as New Zealand heads into lockdown by pravemn Follow the latest news on coronavirus with our live blog:
Read more »
New Amsterdam Episode About Pandemic Wreaking Havoc on New York Shelved by NBCIn an essay published Wednesday, creator David Schulner explained the decision to pull the episode saying, “The world needs a lot less fiction right now, and a lot more fact'
Read more »
COVID-19 Cases in New York Are SurgingIn a news conference, Cuomo said the change in the infection rate is not encouraging. He said one of his forecasters told him, 'We were looking at a freight train coming across the country, and we're now looking at a bullet train.'
Read more »
New York sees some signs of progress against coronavirus as New Orleans hit hardGovernor Andrew Cuomo said New York City will close some public streets to vehicles, opening them up to pedestrian traffic to facilitate 'social distancing' to avoid coronavirus infections
Read more »
WSJ News Exclusive | New York Mandates Nursing Homes Take Covid-19 Patients Discharged From HospitalsNew York cited an urgent need to expand hospital capacity, but a group representing doctors who work in nursing homes said decision 'represents a clear and present danger to all of the residents of a nursing home'
Read more »
3-Week-Old Baby in New York Becomes Youngest COVID-19 Patient in AmericaA newborn in New York has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, reports say -- the youngest known coronavirus patient in the US.
Read more »