A Common Vitamin Showed A Promising Benefit In People With Certain Blood Disorders
When you hear "blood disorder," you might think of anemia, but there are many different conditions that affect the blood.
Some involve abnormal blood cells that can change over time, which is why researchers are looking for ways to support people who have them before the disease becomes more serious.
One possibility is surprisingly familiar: vitamin C.
In the phase 2 EVITA trial, researchers tested whether taking vitamin C every day could affect blood cell changes and other measures of health in people with certain early-stage blood disorders.
About the study
The trial included 109 adults with clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) or lower-risk myeloid malignancies.
CCUS means a person has certain abnormal genetic changes in their blood cells but doesn't yet have a full-blown blood cancer. Lower-risk myeloid malignancies are blood cancers that tend to progress more slowly than higher-risk forms.
Participants were randomly assigned to take either 1,000 milligrams of oral vitamin C or a placebo every day for 12 months. Researchers then continued to monitor them over a longer period.
The main goal was to see whether vitamin C could slow the growth of abnormal genetic changes in blood cells.
They also tracked vitamin C levels, inflammation, side effects, and overall survival.
Vitamin C corrected low levels & changed inflammation
More than half of the participants started the trial with vitamin C levels that were considered deficient or inadequate.
After 12 months, levels had increased significantly in the vitamin C group, while they stayed about the same in the placebo group.
The researchers also saw changes in several blood markers linked to inflammation and immune activity.
Overall, those changes moved in a more favorable direction and looked more like patterns seen in people with lower-risk disease or without these blood disorders.
Vitamin C was also generally well tolerated. Participants taking it experienced fewer side effects and serious adverse events than those taking the placebo.
The unexpected survival signal
The trial's primary goal wasn't met. Vitamin C did not significantly slow the growth of the abnormal genetic changes researchers were tracking. But an exploratory analysis found something else: People taking vitamin C had longer overall survival than those taking the placebo.
The researchers described the results as "hypothesis-generating" and said a larger phase 3 trial is needed to determine whether vitamin C actually affects long-term outcomes.
What to do if you have a blood disorder
The study suggests that low vitamin C levels may be common among people with these conditions, and correcting a deficiency may affect inflammation. But we don't yet know whether those changes lead to better long-term health.
If you have CCUS, myelodysplastic syndrome, or another blood disorder, ask your health care provider whether checking your vitamin C status makes sense for you.
If your levels are low, your care team can help you decide whether getting more vitamin C through food or supplementation is appropriate.
For now, don't start taking high-dose vitamin C in hopes of improving your survival.
This study doesn't show that vitamin C treats, prevents, or cures cancer, and the survival finding needs to be confirmed before it can influence treatment decisions.
The takeaway
Vitamin C didn't slow the blood cell changes researchers were hoping to influence, but the trial still turned up some interesting clues.
It corrected low vitamin C levels, shifted several inflammation markers, and raised a question about survival that researchers now have a reason to investigate more closely.
