The Physiologic and biochemical Effects of Vitamin C in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review
Year: 2021
Type: review
Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
Abstract: Background: The versatile functions of antioxidants in a variety of health conditions have garnered a lot of interest lately. Popular for its antioxidant properties, vitamin C has been utilized to treat people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The purpose of this systematic review is to show how vitamin C supplements benefit COPD patients. Objective: To look into how vitamin C might help with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methodology: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of vitamin C on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by analyzing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to August 1, 2020. Studies included were English-language RCTs involving adult COPD patients who received vitamin C supplementation versus placebo, reporting on serum antioxidants, nutrition, and lung function. Exclusion criteria encompassed studies with comorbidities, non-human experiments, reviews, case reports, and articles with insufficient data. Results: A literature search identified 1268 studies, with 189 duplicates. Studies varied in vitamin C dosage and duration, and most assessed lung function (FEV1% or FEV1/FVC) and serum antioxidant levels. Subgroup analysis showed significant improvement in FEV1% with (≥400 mg/day of vitamin C) (SMD: 1.10, P = 0.03), but no significant change with <400 mg/day. Sensitivity analysis revealed that one study (Long et al.) had a substantial impact on results. “Serum vitamin C levels were higher in the vitamin C group (SMD: 0.64, P = 0.03), while vitamin E levels showed no significant difference (SMD: 0.84, P = 0.08). Serum GSH was significantly higher with vitamin C (SMD: 2.46, P = 0.0007), with significant variation among studies. SOD levels showed no difference (SMD: 0.43, P = 0.72), and vitamin C had no significant effect on BMI or FFMI. Conclusion: The present study suggest that vitamin C supplements have important clinical implications for COPD patients. Reduced oxidative lung damage means increased lung function and elevated serum antioxidant levels. In the meantime, we discovered that vitamin C administration might raise the serum level of antioxidants in COPD patients, but not their nutritional status.
Language: English
Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7221261445