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# Vitamin C fights influenza
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/vitamin_c_fights_influenza_011120140348/
- Published: 2014-01-11T16:56:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:18:47.000Z
- Description: Mice unable to make vitamin C and exposed to H3N2 influenza carried more virus and less antiviral interferon, plus more inflammatory cytokines, than sufficient mice, an Immune Network study found. The authors conclude vitamin C aids early antiviral responses.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Vitamins, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Saturday Jan 11, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study released in Immune Network suggests that taking vitamin c regularly as a dietary supplement may help prevent or treat influenza or flu.

Jae Seung Kang from Seoul National University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea and colleagues conducted the study and found vitamin C deficient mice that could not produce vitamin C had higher levels of influenza virus and lower amount of anti-viral cytokine Interferon-α/β.

For the study, vitamin C insufficient mice were exposed to influenza virus (H3N2/Hongkong) and viral titers in the lung of the animal, antiviral cytokine interferon-α/β and pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin (IL)-α/β were measured with one week of the viral exposure.

Mice that were vitamin C insufficient were more vulnerable to the influenza virus and high concentrations of the virus and low anti-viral cytokine were found in these vitamin C insufficient mice.

On the other hand, the vitamin C insufficient mice produced high levels of proinflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-α/β in the lung of the mice.

The study concluded "Taken together, vitamin C shows in vivo anti-viral immune responses at the early time of infection, especially against influenza virus, through increased production of IFN-α/β."

Vitamin C or l-ascorbic acid is a well-known anti-viral agent against particularly influenza virus. Humans need dietary vitamin C because they cannot produce this vitamin. Vitamin C deficiency can result in many diseases. (David Liu )