Trincianti Chiara, Naso Matteo, Tosca Maria Angela, Ciprandi Giorgio
Allergy Center, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16100 Genoa, Italy.
Allergy Clinic, Casa di Cura Villa Montallegro, 16100 Genoa, Italy.
Children (Basel). 2025 May 30;12(6):718. doi: 10.3390/children12060718.
Allergic diseases share a type 2 immune reaction and elevated oxidative stress, contributing to disease pathogenesis and exacerbations. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), a fundamental exogenous antioxidant, has been hypothesized to attenuate these pathological mechanisms. This narrative review critically examined the most recent evidence concerning the role of vitamin C in preventing and managing allergic diseases, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. This narrative review consisted of three steps: conducting the search, reviewing abstracts and full texts, and discussing results. For this reason, we consulted the PubMed database to detect the pertinence of studies according to the review's conduct. The final search ended in March 2025 and included English-language-based international articles, online reports, and electronic books. The keywords "vitamin C and allergic disease" and "vitamin C and immune system" were used. After the complete search, we read the abstracts to ensure that they concerned the topic of interest. Recent evidence suggests a protective role for vitamin C in asthma, with several studies reporting reduced oxidative stress markers, improved lung function, and decreased airway inflammation following regular intake or supplementation. Higher dietary vitamin C intake correlates with lower asthma prevalence and severity, particularly in pediatric populations. Conversely, the findings regarding allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis are heterogeneous. While topical ascorbic acid derivatives show promise in atopic dermatitis models, oral vitamin C intake does not appear to affect allergic rhinitis or dermatitis risk significantly. Vitamin C demonstrates potential as an add-on therapy in asthma management by attenuating oxidative stress and type 2 respiratory inflammation. However, its role in allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis remains less clear. Further multicentric, well-designed clinical trials are necessary to establish definitive guidelines for vitamin C supplementation in allergic disease management.
过敏性疾病具有2型免疫反应和氧化应激升高的特点，这会导致疾病的发病机制和病情加重。维生素C（抗坏血酸）是一种重要的外源性抗氧化剂，据推测它可以减轻这些病理机制。本叙述性综述批判性地审视了有关维生素C在预防和管理过敏性疾病（包括哮喘、过敏性鼻炎和特应性皮炎）中作用的最新证据。本叙述性综述包括三个步骤：进行检索、审查摘要和全文以及讨论结果。因此，我们查阅了PubMed数据库，以根据综述的实施情况检测研究的相关性。最终检索于2025年3月结束，包括以英语为基础的国际文章、在线报告和电子书。使用了关键词“维生素C与过敏性疾病”和“维生素C与免疫系统”。在完成检索后，我们阅读摘要以确保它们与感兴趣的主题相关。最近的证据表明维生素C在哮喘中具有保护作用，多项研究报告称，定期摄入或补充维生素C后，氧化应激标志物减少、肺功能改善且气道炎症减轻。饮食中维生素C摄入量较高与哮喘患病率和严重程度较低相关，尤其是在儿童人群中。相反，关于过敏性鼻炎和特应性皮炎的研究结果并不一致。虽然局部应用抗坏血酸衍生物在特应性皮炎模型中显示出前景，但口服维生素C摄入似乎并未显著影响过敏性鼻炎或皮炎的风险。维生素C通过减轻氧化应激和2型呼吸道炎症，在哮喘管理中显示出作为辅助治疗的潜力。然而，其在过敏性鼻炎和特应性皮炎中的作用仍不太明确。需要进一步开展多中心、精心设计的临床试验，以建立过敏性疾病管理中维生素C补充的明确指南。
