NAC vs Vitamin C for immunity
Short answer: For immunity, more users report improvement with NAC — 95% of 40 reports, versus 90% of 40 for Vitamin C.
NAC has 387 meta-analyses and 767 randomized trials on PubMed; Vitamin C has 738 and 2,072.
Based on 2,058 reports about NAC and 928 about Vitamin C. Not medical advice.
| NAC Supplement | Vitamin C Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 54%helped947 reports · high confidence | 64%helped204 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mixed | Mostly positive |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 387 / 767 | 738 / 2,072 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Mood % reporting improvement | 65% (323) | 88% (25) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 90% (301) | 94% (17) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 81% (170) | 64% (14) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 73% (91) | 94% (34) |
| Immunity % reporting improvement | 95% (40) | 90% (40) |
| Common side effects | anhedonia, stomach issues, depression, emotional blunting | kidney stones, stomach issues, insomnia, bone pain |
| Typical dose reported | 600 mg | 2000 mg / daily |
Taken together, these preliminary findings suggest that dietetic approaches might be included as part of BD treatment. Also considering the high risk of metabolic disorders in individuals with BD, they should be encouraged to choose healthy dietary lifestyles, including daily intake of fruits, vegetables, seafood and whole grains.
Nutr Neurosci, 2023 ↗“NAC has helped me stay calm and reduce anxiety as well as gives me loads of energy if I am sleep deprived.”
The failure of vitamin C supplementation to reduce the incidence of colds in the general population indicates that routine vitamin C supplementation is not justified, yet vitamin C may be useful for people exposed to brief periods of severe physical exercise. Regular supplementation trials have shown that vitamin C reduces the duration of colds, but this was not replicated in the few therapeutic trials that have been carried out. Nevertheless, given the consistent effect of vitamin C on the duration and severity of colds in the regular supplementation studies, and the low cost and safety, it m
Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2013 ↗“I know people say you get enough vitamin C from diet but I feel and look better when I supplement it.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate