Does ascorbic acid help against pathogens

[paul80]

I'm fed up getting cold viruses that drain what little energy i have for weeks. I remember reading years ago a doc (think it was dr myhill) who said drinking vit c sterilizes the stomach against pathogens such as viruses.

Does anyone know if there's any evidence for this or is it just rubbish?

 

[andyguitar]

If you are deficient in vit C then then you can become more susceptible to infection @paul80 but I dont think vit c can sterilise your stomach and even if it did the stomach is not the only place a virus could be living.

 

[wabi-sabi]

There's a cute video from Vox on misconceptions of Vitamin C. Yes, it's a necessary nutrient, but once you're topped up on it anything else is just placebo effect. And no, it definitely doesn't sterilize your stomach.

Link here:

 

[EddieB]

I did vit C iv’s for 4 months for that very reason. Didn’t do anything positive that I can report. Did cause a couple blood clots that were painful and took months to go away.
I would say it’s ok to supplement with reasonable amounts. The notion of doing mega doses to cure illness is questionable in my opinion.