New research clarifies a fundamental misunderstanding about vitamin C and immune function. Rather than stimulating immune responses, vitamin C serves a critical regenerative purpose: it refuels the antioxidant defences of neutrophils, the white blood cells responsible for directly killing pathogens. When neutrophils engulf bacteria, they generate hypochlorous acid—a potent oxidative burst that rapidly depletes their internal antioxidant stores, including vitamin C. Neutrophils actively accumulate vitamin C from the bloodstream at concentrations up to 80 times higher than plasma levels, actively pumping it against concentration gradients to recharge their bactericidal machinery. According to research by Anitra Carr and Sebastien Maggini published in Nutrients (2017), this regenerative mechanism reaches saturation at approximately 200 mg daily in healthy individuals. Doses exceeding this threshold provide no additional cellular benefit, challenging common assumptions about megadose supplementation. Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
Was this article helpful?
