Vitamin C is an essential nutrient, functioning as an antioxidant, immunomodulator, and cofactor for numerous enzymes. Vitamin C represents the definitive treatment for scurvy, which results from vitamin C deficiency. However, beyond this unequivocally beneficial indication, the history of vitamin C as a therapeutic is decidedly more checkered. Varying doses of vitamin C have been proposed to treat a large number of conditions and diseases ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disease to dementia to the common cold; however, despite numerous clinical trials, there is little evidence to support its routine use for any of these indications.
Source: JAMA Online First