The popular conception of vitamin C as an immune booster requires significant revision. According to mechanistic evidence reviewed in Nutrients (2017), vitamin C functions not as a stimulant that enhances immune response, but as a regenerative cofactor that restores neutrophil function after pathogenic encounters.
When neutrophils engulf and destroy bacteria using hypochlorous acid, this oxidative burst rapidly depletes the cell’s internal vitamin C stores, temporarily compromising its ability to respond to subsequent pathogens. Vitamin C replenishes these depleted antioxidant reserves, enabling neutrophils to maintain their defensive capacity.
Approximately 200 mg of dietary vitamin C daily saturates plasma concentration and achieves optimal neutrophil saturation in healthy individuals. Importantly, higher supplemental doses provide no additional benefit in people consuming adequate diets, though vitamin C becomes critical during infection, surgery, or sustained physical stress.
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