The Role of Vitamin C in Long COVID Treatment

Long COVID is a condition that affects some people who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus. The symptoms of long COVID can be devastating, and have even resulted in complete disability for some of my patients.

In my last blog, I discussed the treatment of long COVID with a medication called Ivermectin. For some of my patients, Ivermectin is a safe, effective option for the treatment of long COVID.¹

But for some patients, other treatment options are needed. There are several vitamins and minerals that have been shown to work well at managing the symptoms of long COVID. One of these vitamins is vitamin C. 

Vitamin C is best known for helping to support a healthy immune system. But its benefits extend far beyond this - especially when it comes to treating long COVID.

What is Long COVID and What Are the Symptoms of Long COVID?

Long COVID refers to certain symptoms that persist or appear weeks to months after an acute COVID-19 infection or after a vaccine. As of 2023, at least 65 million people throughout the world have had long COVID.²

The main cause of long COVID is immune dysregulation.³ This makes it difficult for the immune system to function properly because certain immune cells called mast cells in the body are alerting the brain and the central nervous system to a threat.

Symptoms of long COVID vary but often include:³

  • Brain fog

  • Fatigue

  • Joint and muscle pain

  • Chest pain

  • Shortness of breath

  • Hair loss

  • Loss of senses of smell and/or taste

  • Dizziness

  • Headaches

  • Difficulty sleeping

  • Palpitations

Of all of these symptoms, fatigue is the most common - affecting over half of patients with long COVID.³ These symptoms greatly affect the lives of the people who have it. And sometimes they're severe enough to cause complete disability. 

How Does the Immune System Respond in Long COVID?

So we know that the main issue with long COVID is immune dysregulation. But what exactly does that cause in the body?

When someone has an acute COVID-19 infection, the body's immune system works to fight it off. It does this in a few different ways. 

The body releases fighter cells called white blood cells to attack the virus. And while all of the white blood cells are important for fighting off illness, the type I want to mention specifically are the mast cells.

Mast cells are white blood cells that are found all over the body. And when a foreign invader, like the COVID-19 virus, is in the body, these cells activate and release chemicals that cause inflammation - which harms the foreign invader.

Temporarily, these defense mechanisms our bodies have are great for fighting off illness. But if the immune system becomes unregulated and doesn't know when to turn off, like in long COVID, mast cells and other white blood cells keep being activated. 

And the result is inflammation all over the body. 

Researchers have looked at the immune systems of patients with COVID-19 infections. And what they found is that two to eight months after the initial COVID-19 infection, patients have:³

  • Elevated inflammatory proteins called cytokines

  • Increased inflammation in the body

  • Vascular damage

  • Increased immune response and production of white blood cells

So when it comes to treating long COVID, we have to focus on using medications that target the underlying cause. And vitamin C has been shown to do just that.

What Is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is an essential vitamin our bodies need to perform several functions. It's also called L-ascorbic acid. Our bodies don't have the ability to make this vitamin, so we have to get it from our diet.⁴

It's a water soluble vitamin, which means that the body isn't able to store it for later use. Instead, when we ingest vitamin C, the body uses what it needs to and gets rid of the rest through the urine. 

We need vitamin C for many reasons including:⁴

  • Immune system health

  • Production of collagen, which is important for skin health

  • Absorption of iron

  • Removal of toxins in the body called free radicals

  • Production of neurotransmitters, which are needed for brain function

Vitamin C has also been shown to be an effective treatment for long COVID. 

How Does Vitamin C Help With Long COVID?

Vitamin C has many roles in the body and is especially important for having a healthy, well-functioning immune system.

So when it comes to the treatment of long COVID, vitamin C helps to regulate the immune system, control inflammation, and get rid of toxins called free radicals. And because of these effects, the symptoms of long COVID improve.

Supports Immune Health

When our body is trying to fight off a foreign invader like a virus or bacterium, white blood cells are needed to go to the front lines. 

Vitamin C helps the body regulate this response and make just enough white blood cells to fight off the invader. Plus, vitamin C helps protect the white blood cells from damage.⁴

Decreases Inflammation

One of the main underlying causes of the symptoms long COVID patients have is inflammation throughout the body, especially due to overactive mast cells. And vitamin C has been shown to help with this. 

Vitamin C is what's called a mast cell stabilizer. This means that it deactivates overactive mast cells throughout the body, which then improves inflammation.⁵

Removes Toxins in the Body

Vitamin C is also a potent antioxidant. Every day, our bodies are exposed to toxins and chemicals that enter our body and become free radicals. If not removed, these free radicals can damage the body.

Free radicals are also made as a byproduct of the immune system. When white blood cells are active and fighting off an invader, a type of free radical is released to damage the invader. 

But since the immune system isn't working properly in long COVID, too many free radicals are released, causing damage to the body.⁴

So by taking vitamin C, you're helping your body remove these free radicals.

Helps With Symptoms of Long COVID

In addition to the above, vitamin C has been shown to help with numerous symptoms of long COVID. 

A study completed in 2022 found that patients with long COVID who received vitamin C plus 1-arginine (an amino acid) for 28 days had significant improvement in exercise tolerance, muscle strength, and fatigue.⁶

A research survey completed in 2022 also looked at vitamin C plus 1-arginine for the treatment of long COVID. A total of 1,390 patients with long COVID participated. And results showed that when compared to taking a multivitamin, taking vitamin C with 1-arginine for 30 days improved the symptoms of long COVID.⁷

Researchers are also starting to look at high-dose vitamin C infusions for the treatment of COVID-19 infections and long COVID. But research is still in process for this. 

How Can You Get More Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is mostly found in fruits and some vegetables. Foods that contain the highest amounts of vitamin C include:⁴

  • Zespri SunGold kiwi and regular kiwi

  • Grapefruit

  • Oranges

  • Strawberries

  • Sweet red pepper, raw

  • Broccoli, cooked

  • Brussel sprouts, cooked

  • White potatoes, including skin

For a complete list of vitamin C containing foods and the amounts that each has, check out the link below:

If you're not able to get enough vitamin C through your diet, another option is taking a dietary supplement. 

What is the Recommended Dose of Vitamin C?

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin C varies by age. For infants and children, the amount of vitamin C ranges from 15-115 mg a day. For non-smoking adults, the RDA ranges from 75-120 mg daily. People who smoke need an additional 35 mg a day.⁸

If you have kidney stones, it’s not recommended to take more than 2,000 mg daily. For long COVID, I’ve been doing much higher dosing with my patients who don’t have a history of kidney stones. I ask patients to start at 3,000 mg daily and then increase the dose from there.

Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin. This means that anything that your body doesn't use gets removed in the urine. You may just have some stomach upset and diarrhea as mentioned above, but this typically resolves after temporarily stopping or dropping down the dose of the vitamin C supplement.⁴

What Vitamin C Supplement is Best?

Like other vitamins, there are many different options when it comes to supplementation. Both natural and man-made (synthetic) vitamin C supplements are available. And when it comes to vitamin C, the natural and man-made versions are identical. This means that your body views them the same and uses them the same. 

There are many different options for vitamin C supplementation. And in my experience, it’s difficult to recommend a specific one. This is because everyone has different intolerances to different forms of vitamin C. 

But by working with me, we can figure out the best vitamin C supplement for you and your body’s needs. 

Are You Struggling With Long COVID?

If you've been dealing with unpleasant symptoms since being sick with COVID-19, you may have long COVID. And if you haven't been able to find a treatment that works for you, vitamin C may be an option for you. 

Vitamin C helps to support the immune system, reduce inflammation, and remove harmful toxins called free radicals - which all help to improve the symptoms of long COVID. 

If you're interested in learning more about how vitamin C can help you with long COVID and your overall health, schedule an appointment at the link below.