• DOI:10.1177/003693307301800101
• Corpus ID: 28875346

Ascorbic Acid and the Common Cold

@article{Pauling1973AscorbicAA,
  title={Ascorbic Acid and the Common Cold},
  author={Linus Carl Pauling},
  journal={Scottish Medical Journal},
  year={1973},
  volume={18},
  pages={1 - 2}
}

• L. Pauling
• Published 1 January 1973
• Medicine, Biology
• Scottish Medical Journal

An important contribution to the body of evidence about the effectiveness of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in controlling the common cold has been made by Drs Hume and Weyers on page 3 of this issue of the Scottish Medical Journal in their paper 'Changes in leucocyte ascorbic acid during the common cold'. It has long been recognised that an ascorbic-acid content in leucocytes of 20 ug. or more per 1()8 cells is needed for proper phagocytic activity, and that the amount of ascorbic acid is decreased by an infection such as a common cold. Hume and Weyers have shown in their careful study of 7 subjects with ordinary nutrition that the mean ascorbic-acid content decreases from 20 before the cold to 10 on the first and second days of illness, and then increases slowly. With subjects receiving 1 g. of ascorbic acid per day the average pre-cold value was 30 ug. per 108 cells. On contracting c~lds t~e subjects were given 6 g. of ascorbic acid per day for 3 days, and then 1 g. per day. The leucocyte ascorbic-acid content fell to a minimum of 23.9 on the third day, and then rose to the original value. The concentration of ascorbic acid in the serum was found to increase from 0.8 mg. per deciliter for no supplementary ascorbic acid to 1.7 for 1 or 3 g. per day and to 2.4 for 6 or 10 g. per day. This study leaves little doubt that an increased intake of ascorbic acid provides added protection against bacterial infections by increasing the phagocytic activity of leucocytes. There is, moreover, a considerable body of evidence supporting the thesis that it provides added protection also against viral infections. Reports of in vitro deactivation of and in Vivo protection against several viruses have been published during the last 35 years.