Vitamin C supplementation reduces the incidence of postrace symptoms of upper-respiratory-tract infection in ultramarathon runners

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 57; no. 2; pp. 170 - 174
• Main Authors: Peters, EM, Goetzsche, JM, Grobbelaar, B, Noakes, TD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01-02-1993; American Society for Clinical Nutrition; American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc
• Subjects: ABSORCION DE SUBSTANCIAS NUTRITIVAS; ABSORPTION DE SUBSTANCES NUTRITIVES; ACIDE ASCORBIQUE; ACIDO ASCORBICO; Adult; ADULTE; ADULTOS; AFRIQUE DU SUD; Ascorbic Acid - administration & dosage; Ascorbic Acid - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; DEPORTES; ENFERMEDADES RESPIRATORIAS; Female; Humans; infection; Infections; LOISIR; MALADIE RESPIRATOIRE; Male; Medical research; Medical sciences; PATHOGENESE; PATOGENESIS; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; RECREACION; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory system; Respiratory Tract Infections - epidemiology; Respiratory Tract Infections - prevention & control; Running; SINTOMAS; SPORT; SUDAFRICA; SYMPTOME; ultramarathon running; Vitamin C; VITAMINAS; VITAMINE; infection; Vitamin C; ultramarathon running; Human; Infection; Prevention; Sport; Ascorbic acid; Upper respiratory tract; Respiratory disease; Treatment efficiency; Vitamin; Supplementation; Running locomotion; Incidence
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/57.2.170

This study determined whether daily supplementation with 600 mg vitamin C would reduce the incidence of symptoms of upper-respiratory-tract (URT) infections after participation in a competitive ultramarathon race (> 42 km). Ultramarathon runners with age-matched controls were randomly divided into placebo and experimental (vitamin C-sup-plemented) groups. Symptoms of URT infections were monitored for 14 d after the race. Sixty-eight percent of the runners in the placebo group reported the development of symptoms of URT infection after the race; this was significantly more (P < 0.01) than that reported by the vitamin C-supplemented group (33%). The duration and severity of symptoms of URT infections reported in the vitamin C-supplemented nonrunning control group was also significantly less than in the nonrunning control group receiving the placebo (P < 0.05). This study provides evidence that vitamin C supplementation may enhance resistance to the postrace URT infections that occur commonly in competitive ultramarathon runners and may reduce the severity of such infections in those who are sedentary.