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Vitamin C and the Immune System

Chapter
First Online:

Abstract

The immune system remains the body’s first line of defense against disease-causing microorganisms and other noxious substances. Many factors influence whether an individual will become sick or not. However, the role of nutrition in immunity has received increased attention in the last few decades. A lot of interest has been given to the effect of essential nutrients such as vitamins on specific aspects of immune function. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a well-known antioxidant that can act as a cofactor for several enzymes involved in biosynthesis and regulation of gene expression. Vitamin C orchestrates the function of the human immune system by supporting various aspects of both the innate and adaptive immune system including epithelial barrier function, chemotaxis and antimicrobial activities of phagocyte cells, natural killer (NK) cell functions, and lymphocyte proliferation and differentiation. In humans, severe vitamin C deficiency has been associated with impairments in immunity and increased susceptibility to more infections, while vitamin C supplementation seems helpful to prevent and treat infections. Vitamin C can also shorten the duration of common cold symptoms. However, episodes of acute infection may deplete body stores of vitamin C, possibly by enhanced metabolic requirements. This chapter provides an overview of the literature on the immune synergistic and antagonistic activities of vitamin C. In particular, it describes the vital involvement of vitamin C in the regulation of the immune system to prevent tissue damage and discusses how low levels of vitamin C may weaken the immune system. Finally, the chapter ends with a short discussion of the relevance of this essential nutrient for situations known to challenge the immune system such as the aging process, infectious diseases, and other immune-related disorders.

Keywords

Immunity Immunosenescence Leukocytes Microbial killing Nutrition Vitamin C Vitamin C deficiency 
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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of ImmunologySchool of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical SciencesTehranIran
  2. 2.Department of ImmunologySchool of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical SciencesZanjanIran
  3. 3.Cancer Gene Therapy Research Center, Zanjan University of Medical SciencesZanjanIran
  4. 4.Department of ImmunologySchool of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical SciencesTehranIran
  5. 5.Department of Immunology, School of MedicineTehran University of Medical SciencesTehranIran
  6. 6.Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN)TehranIran

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