Does Vitamin C (specifically synthetic drug supplement of Vitamin C) provide any significant role in boosting the body daily immune system? Does any of those Vitamin C supplements really boost the body immune system compared to natural sources alone?
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Answer by Zhuzza
It's known that vitamin C is consumed during immune response, but it's not clear what roles does it play other than as an anti-histaminic (which means it tends to modulate allergy and inflammatory response).
The main known use of vitamin C in human body is collagen production: Vitamin C is a co-factor of the enzyme lysil oxydase necessary to create cross-link between collagen chains. In absence of vitamin C collagen becomes frail, especially in locations where collagen is replaced steadily (ex blood vessels, cartilage, skin, gums) causing the scurvy. That's where vitamin C gets its name (Ascorbic Acid means acid that prevents scurvy from a- negative suffix and scorbutus which is latin for scurvy).
It's also an anti-oxydant which prevents the formation of free radicals and as such helping prevent dna damage; and it is implicated in biosynthesis and metabolism of other substances like carnitine (a cytosol - mithocondrion fatty acid shuttle) and thyrosine (an amminoacid).
Withouth further studies, it's hard to say if an extra-uptake of vitamin C is beneficial, ininfluent or even dangerous, though the latter is pretty remote considering that it's water soluble and thus easily expelled by the body.
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