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Evidence-Based Supplement Research
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Vitamin C and Reduced Organ Dysfunction

Research synthesisVery low evidenceSmall effect4 studies · 0 beneficial · 3 neutral · 1 harmful

Across 4 studies, the evidence predominantly shows neutral or harmful effects of high-dose intravenous vitamin C on organ dysfunction, with only 1 study reporting a statistically significant harmful effect (small magnitude). The median study duration was 4 days, with most research focusing on critically ill patients (e.g., post-cardiac arrest, septic shock). The highest-quality trial (10 g/day IV for 4 days in comatose cardiac arrest survivors) found that vitamin C led to significantly worse organ function compared to placebo.

  • Effective dose range: 10 g intravenous daily or 25 mg/kg every 6 h
  • Studied populations: critically ill patients (comatose adults after shockable out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; children with septic shock)

Caveats: Many of the included studies did not reach statistical significance — effect may be smaller than the predominant direction suggests. Evidence base is small (only 4 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. The only significant finding was harmful, and all studies used intravenous high-dose regimens in acute critical illness; results should not be generalized to oral supplementation or healthy populations.

Generated Jul 10, 2026
Doses used in studies
  • g/day: 10 (median 10, IQR 10–10) — 1 study
  • mg/kg/day: 100 (median 100, IQR 100–100) — 1 study
Time to effect
Median: 4 days · IQR 3 days–4 days · Range 3 days–4 days — Reported in 2 of 4 studies
Safety in these studies
4 of 4 papers
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