The often debated treatment did not improve outcomes in critically ill patients

Published 10/27/23, Hannah Murphy, The Messenger

High doses of intravenous vitamin C are no more effective than a placebo when it comes to treating patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 infections, a new study shows.

Published in JAMA, the study compared treatment regimens and their resultant outcomes in around 1,600 critically ill patients being treated in intensive care units due to COVID. Researchers found that not only did the addition of vitamin C infusions not improve patient outcomes, in some cases, they actually made them worse.

Patients from more than 130 treatment sites were included in the analysis. They were divided randomly into groups that received either vitamin C infusions, a placebo or no treatment change at all. The vitamin C group underwent infusions intravenously every six hours for 96 hours, for a maximum of 16 doses.

Compared to the critically ill patients who were given a placebo or no vitamin C infusions at all, those who did receive the infusions were found to be around 3% less likely to survive to hospital discharge. 

Critically ill patients treated with vitamin C were also observed to have fewer organ support-free days — days that did not require things like ventilation, supplemental oxygen and transfusions — than patients who did not receive the infusions.

There were no significant differences between patients who were not critically ill in the treatment groups, prompting the study’s authors to suggest that the treatment had a “low probability of improving outcomes.”

Since the start of the COVID pandemic, experts have explored the utility of hundreds of potential treatments for the virus. During that time, conspiracy theorists without infectious disease backgrounds were quick to offer their input on the matter, touting everything from consuming excessive amounts of alcohol to taking pills intended to eradicate parasites in animals as COVID cure-alls.

The use of vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, inevitably got caught in the crossfire between medical professionals and pseudoscience enthusiasts. It is, after all, known for its ability to enhance immunity and experts encourage the inclusion of vitamin C in almost all balanced diets.

However, when it comes to COVID, the data on whether vitamin C can benefit patients has been conflicting. A previous meta-analysis found that vitamin C infusions did reduce hospital mortality, but a handful of other studies have not found it to improve outcomes. This latest research lends its support to the latter.