Center for Health Equity and Community Engagement Research, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA.
Biobehavioral Nursing Science, College of Nursing, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
Nutrients. 2022 Mar 16;14(6):1254. doi: 10.3390/nu14061254.
Although undisputed for its anti-inflammatory and immune system boosting properties, vitamin C remains an inconsistently investigated nutrient in the United States. However, subclinical inadequacies may partly explain increased inflammation and decreased immune function within the population. This secondary analysis cross-sectional study used the 2003-2006 NHANES surveys to identify more clearly the association between plasma vitamin C and clinical biomarkers of acute and chronic inflammation C-reactive protein (CRP) and red cell distribution width (RDW). From plasma vitamin C levels separated into five defined categories (deficiency, hypovitaminosis, inadequate, adequate, and saturating), ANOVA tests identified significant differences in means in all insufficient vitamin C categories (deficiency, hypovitaminosis, and inadequate) and both CRP and RDW in 7607 study participants. There were also statistically significant differences in means between sufficient plasma vitamin C levels (adequate and saturating categories) and CRP. Significant differences were not identified between adequate and saturating plasma vitamin C levels and RDW. Although inadequate levels of vitamin C may not exhibit overt signs or symptoms of deficiency, differences in mean levels identified between inflammatory biomarkers suggest a closer examination of those considered at risk for inflammatory-driven diseases. Likewise, the subclinical levels of inflammation presented in this study provide evidence to support ranges for further clinical inflammation surveillance.
尽管维生素 C 具有无可争议的抗炎和增强免疫系统的特性，但它仍然是美国研究不充分的营养物质。然而，亚临床不足可能部分解释了人群中炎症增加和免疫功能下降的原因。本横断面研究采用 2003-2006 年 NHANES 调查，更清楚地确定了血浆维生素 C 与急性和慢性炎症的临床生物标志物 C 反应蛋白（CRP）和红细胞分布宽度（RDW）之间的关联。根据血浆维生素 C 水平分为五个定义类别（缺乏、轻度不足、不足、充足和饱和），方差分析测试确定了所有维生素 C 不足类别（缺乏、轻度不足和不足）以及 CRP 和 RDW 在 7607 名研究参与者中的平均值存在显著差异。在 CRP 方面，充足的血浆维生素 C 水平（充足和饱和类别）与 CRP 之间也存在统计学上显著的均值差异。在充足和饱和的血浆维生素 C 水平与 RDW 之间未发现显著差异。尽管维生素 C 水平不足可能没有明显的缺乏症状，但在炎症生物标志物之间确定的平均水平差异表明，需要更仔细地检查那些被认为有炎症驱动疾病风险的人。同样，本研究中呈现的亚临床炎症水平为进一步进行临床炎症监测提供了证据支持。
