Vitamin C is another supplement to consider for pain, immune system (Covid?), connective tissue
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid (AA) was discovered by Albert von Szent-Györgyi for which he received the 1937 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Linus Poling, one of only 4 people to win the Nobel prize twice, devoted many years of his life to researching AA. A wealth of information on AA is available on Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute website.
Many studies have shown that AA is important in collagen formation. It is also important for the proliferation of stem cells. A study of 1210 hospitalized patients showed that intravenous infusion of AA in doses of 3–10 grams/day reduced the mortality of critically ill patients. AA also plays a vital role in the functioning of the immune system as well as inflammation.
This post was prompted not only by thoughts of how to boost your immunity and increase your resistance to viral infections but also by a recent paper with a catchy title, Dietary ascorbic acid restriction in GNL/SMP30-knockout mice unveils the role of ascorbic acid in regulation of somatic and visceral pain sensitivity. The authors conclude “our data unveil the critical role of ascorbic acid in regulating somatic and visceral pain sensitivity and support accumulating clinical evidence for the usefulness of ascorbic acid in pain management.”
Another example of a basic science study of the role of AA in pain modulation is Evidence for the involvement of glutamatergic system in the antinociceptive effect of ascorbic acid.
And what about migraines? Surprisingly, nobody has done any studies of AA for the treatment of migraines. There is only one case report published in The New England Journal of Medicine describing a 32-year-old man who controlled his migraine headaches with a daily dose of 6 grams of ascorbic acid for six years. He participated in a double-blind study in which he was given either AA or placebo. At the end of 15 days, he correctly identified all days he had received vitamin C and all days he had received a placebo.
How much should you take? The Linus Pauling Institute suggests 400 mg a day, although many popular vitamin C supplements contain 1,000 mg. Taking 1,000 mg is safe, although any amount of AA can cause heartburn or upset stomach because vitamin C is an acid.
I don’t know why but powdered vitamin C helps me with body aches and headaches. I’ve always suffered from headaches, I’m grateful for the relief.
I read about that case study, and tried high doses of ascorbic acid powder during my worst period of chronic migraine. I couldn’t maintain it because, like you say, such high doses were too hard on my stomach. The paper you’ve shared about the link to pain is fascinating. Devoted to a moderate AA dose for life. Thanks for posting!
Yes, vitamin C levels are not reliable, unless the level is very low or very high.
Hello Dr. Mauskop, I was reading this post on vitamin C. I was wondering, would it be worth it to first check your levels of vitamin C through a blood test, and only supplement if there is a deficiency? Or is blood test vitamin C not reliable? Thanks