Vitamin C2026-04

Vitamin C Supplementation in Hospitalized Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Sharma Yogesh, Mangoni Arduino A, Woodman Richard, Ng Huah Shin et al. — JMIR research protocols

Summary

This paper describes a planned study (VitCAP trial) investigating whether high-dose oral vitamin C can help adults hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) recover faster. The trial aims to clarify previous mixed results and explore vitamin C as a safe, inexpensive additional treatment to improve patient outcomes.

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Key points

A new study is planned to investigate vitamin C's role in treating pneumonia.
It will test if high-dose oral vitamin C helps hospitalized adults with pneumonia recover.
The study aims to determine if vitamin C can be a safe and affordable additional treatment.
This trial will provide more robust evidence on vitamin C's potential benefits for pneumonia patients.

What the study looked at

What question the study asked: The VitCAP trial aims to find out if giving high doses of oral vitamin C over an extended period can help adults hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) recover more quickly and improve their overall patient-centered outcomes. Previous studies on vitamin C for severe infections have shown mixed results, and this trial seeks to address those inconsistencies, especially since vitamin C is known to support immune function. How it was studied (design/participants): This is a single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial. Researchers will enroll 124 adults, aged 18 and older, who are hospitalized with CAP in Australia. Within 48 hours of admission, participants will be randomly assigned to receive either high-dose oral vitamin C (1 gram three times daily for 7 days, then 500 mg twice daily for 30 days) or a matching placebo, in addition to their standard medical care. Neither the participants nor the medical staff will know who is receiving vitamin C or placebo. What it found: This paper describes the *protocol* for the study, meaning it details how the research *will be conducted*. It does not present any results yet. The trial is expected to begin recruiting participants in 2026, and the primary results are anticipated in 2028. The main outcome they will measure is the time it takes for patients to achieve clinical stabilization.

Dietary takeaway

While this study is still in the planning stages, it highlights the ongoing scientific interest in vitamin C's potential role in immune health, especially during severe infections like pneumonia. For now, maintaining a balanced diet rich in vitamin C from fruits and vegetables remains a good strategy for overall health and immune support. Remember that this is just one study protocol, and its findings, once available, will need to be considered alongside other research to draw definitive conclusions about vitamin C supplementation for pneumonia.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a leading cause of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality worldwide, particularly among older adults with multimorbidity and frailty. Despite advances in antimicrobial therapy, clinical outcomes have improved little, highlighting the need for safe, inexpensive adjunctive treatments. Vitamin C plays a critical role in immune function, redox homeostasis, and endothelial integrity, all disrupted during acute infection. Hypovitaminosis C is common in hospitalized patients with CAP and has been associated with increased disease severity, longer length of stay (LOS), and worse outcomes. However, prior randomized trials of vitamin C have produced inconsistent results, often focusing on critically ill patients with sepsis, using short treatment durations, and discontinuing therapy abruptly. OBJECTIVE: The Vitamin C in Community-Acquired Pneumonia (VitCAP) trial aims to evaluate whether high-dose oral vitamin C administered over an extended period improves clinical recovery and patient-centered outcomes in adults hospitalized with CAP. METHODS: VitCAP is a single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group randomized clinical trial conducted at a tertiary hospital in Australia. Adults aged 18 years and older hospitalized with CAP will be randomized within 48 hours of admission in a 1:1 ratio to receive either oral sodium ascorbate (1 g 3 times daily for 7 days, followed by 500 mg twice daily for 30 days) or a matching placebo in addition to standard care. Randomization will be computer generated with allocation concealment via a centralized pharmacy service, and all participants, clinicians, investigators, and outcome assessors will remain blinded. The primary outcome is time to clinical stabilization, defined using standard physiological criteria. Secondary outcomes include early clinical response, symptom burden at 30 days, intensive care unit admission, need for ventilatory or vasopressor support, LOS, all-cause mortality at 30 days and 6 months, hospital readmission, health-related quality of life, and changes in inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein and procalcitonin). Analyses will follow the intention-to-treat principle. The primary outcome will be analyzed using Cox proportional hazard regression adjusted for prespecified covariates, with sensitivity analyses including restricted mean survival time. RESULTS: The VitCAP trial received ethics approval from the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network Human Research Ethics Committee in 2025 and funding in September 2025. Recruitment is expected to commence in 2026 and continue for 18 to 24 months. A total of 124 participants will be enrolled to provide 80% power to detect a clinically meaningful difference in time to clinical stabilization while allowing for attrition. Data analysis will follow completion of follow-up, with primary results anticipated in 2028. CONCLUSIONS: The VitCAP trial is designed to address important evidence gaps by evaluating sustained oral vitamin C supplementation in hospitalized patients with CAP using clinically meaningful patient-centered outcomes. If effective, vitamin C could represent a safe, low-cost, and scalable adjunct to standard CAP management. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12625001361493; https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12625001361493. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/91037.

View on PubMed →DOI: 10.2196/91037