Researchers from the University of Technology Sydney tested whether vitamin C could protect lung tissue from air pollution damage.
Led by Professor Brian Oliver from UTS's School of Life Sciences and the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, the study did experiments on male mice and lab-grown human tissues. They found that vitamin C helped prevent some of the key cell damage usually caused by fine particulate air pollution.
During the study, the researchers focused on PM2.5, tiny pollution particles commonly found in urban air. They found that vitamin C reduced lung inflammation and helped prevent the loss of mitochondria, which are the 'power houses' of cells. Moreover, vitamin C also helped limit oxidative stress—damage caused by unstable molecules that can harm cells and disrupt normal function.
"For the first time, we are providing hope for a low-cost preventative treatment to a global issue affecting hundreds of millions of people," said Oliver.
"We know now that there is no safe level of air pollution, which causes inflammation in the lungs and leads to myriad respiratory diseases and chronic illnesses, especially in the case of bushfires."
However, Professor Oliver warned against taking high-dose vitamin C supplements. He said it's easy to take too much, but more vitamin C does not mean better health.
"This study suggests that taking the highest permitted dose of Vitamin C for you would potentially help, but you would need to speak with your GP to make sure you're taking the right kind of supplement at the right levels and don't accidentally overdose on something else included in an over-the-counter supplement," Oliver concluded.
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