Oral vitamin C to promote health in middle-aged and older adults

Randomized Controlled Trial on Vitamin C Supolementation for HealthRegulation in Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults

This trial will test whether taking oral vitamin C daily for 12 months can slow aging-related changes in generally healthy people aged 55–65.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 400 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years to 70 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Peking University Third Hospital (Academic / other)
• Drugs / interventions: chemotherapy
• Locations: 3 sites (Nanchang, Jiangxi and 2 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT06794255 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This randomized, placebo-controlled interventional trial gives participants oral vitamin C or a matching placebo for 12 consecutive months and compares aging-related indicators and safety outcomes. Participants are asked to take two 250 mg tablets after breakfast and dinner each day and attend face-to-face follow-ups every 6 months with telephone check-ins every 2 months. Researchers will measure a panel of candidate biomarkers of human aging alongside routine safety labs and cardiac monitoring to identify sensitive indicators and monitor adverse events. A baseline control cohort with a wider age range is included to characterize normal aging changes.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are generally healthy adults aged 55–65 with BMI 18.5–28 kg/m² who can give informed consent and comply with study visits and dosing for 12 months.

Not a fit: People with uncontrolled chronic or severe diseases (for example cancer, heart failure, renal insufficiency, poorly controlled hypertension, active liver disease), those outside the BMI or age ranges, or those with contraindications listed in the exclusion criteria are unlikely to benefit from participating.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, daily vitamin C could offer a low-cost, widely available way to slow some measurable aspects of aging and guide future small-molecule interventions.

How similar studies have performed: Some observational studies and small trials have linked antioxidant vitamins to changes in aging biomarkers, but high-quality randomized evidence that vitamin C delays human aging is limited and mixed.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Age: 55-65 years (for the experimental and control groups) or 18-70 years (for the baseline control group assessing aging changes).
* Health Status: Deemed to be in good health based on medical evaluation, including medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and cardiac monitoring.
* Weight: BMI within the range of 18.5-28 kg/m².
* Informed Consent: Capable of signing the informed consent form and complying with the requirements and restrictions outlined in the study protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Disease Status:Uncontrolled medical conditions or any disease that, in the investigator's opinion, may pose an inappropriate risk or contraindication or interfere with the study's objectives, conduct, or evaluation.Severe chronic or acute diseases (e.g., cancer, heart failure, renal insufficiency, COPD, diabetes, active liver disease, metabolic acidosis, poorly controlled hypertension, epilepsy, recent cardiovascular events, inflammatory bowel disease, neurological disorders, infectious diseases, severe autoimmune diseases, etc.).
* Weight: BMI \< 18.5 or BMI \> 28.
* Substance/Alcohol Abuse: Ongoing alcohol or drug abuse, or excessive alcohol consumption.
* Medical History: History of gastrointestinal diseases, hyperuricemia, kidney or urinary tract stones, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, or paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.
* Allergy: Allergy to vitamin C or any component of its formulation.
* Recent Medication Use: Use of high-dose vitamin C, vitamin E, low-dose aspirin, acarbose, metformin, NMN/NR, or other anti-aging/weight-loss drugs within the past 3 months.
* Informed Consent: Inability to provide informed consent.
* Other: Any physical condition that, in the investigator's opinion, may adversely affect the study process or outcomes.
* Clinical Research Participation: Participation in any other clinical research within 3 months prior to screening or during the study period, or receipt of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, biologic therapy, small-molecule therapeutic agents, or investigational drugs, with incomplete recovery from related side effects (excluding alopecia or potential neuropathy).

Where this trial is running

Nanchang, Jiangxi and 2 other locations

• The first affiliated hospital of Nanchang University — Nanchang, Jiangxi, China (Recruiting)
• People's Hospital of Quzhou — Quzhou, Zhejiang, China (Recruiting)
• Peking University Third Hospital — Beijing, China (Enrolling_by_invitation)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Tian Tian

Conditions Ageing