A recent study documented that vitamin C, α-tocopherol, carotenes, selenium, and flavonoids are the most commonly ingested antioxidants in the United States (
16). These common antioxidants are beneficial in the treatment and prevention of chronic disorders. For example, there is an inverse relationship between β-carotene and vitamin C ingestion and the incidence of breast cancer in premenopausal women (
46,
47). Additionally, studies suggest that diets rich in flavonoids reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in humans and rodent models (
48,
49). Due to positive effects in various disease models, there are currently 1,986 clinical trials using antioxidants (
www.clinicaltrials.gov).
However, while antioxidant ingestion may play a role in the prevention of chronic disorders, our results have important implications for supplementation during acute immune responses. Our study demonstrates that antioxidant with superoxide dismutase activity has a negative effect on virus-specific ASC, antibody titer, and affinity and suggest that antioxidant supplements should be suspended during infection and immunization.