"Social ties—that is, love and intimacy—with friends, family, work, and community may help protect against diseases as well. To test this idea, Dr. Sheldon Cohen and his colleagues at Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh recruited 276 healthy people ranging in age from eighteen to fifty-five. The volunteers were given nasal drops containing rhinovirus—the virus that causes the common cold.

The investigators assessed participation in twelve types of social relationships. These included relationships with a spouse, parents, parents-in-law, children, other close family members, close neighbors, friends, workmates, schoolmates, fellow volunteers, members of groups without religious affiliations, and members of religious groups. One point was given for each type of relationship when a person spoke (in person or by phone) to someone in that category at least once every two weeks, so the maximum score was 12 points. Also the total number of people with whom the person spoke at least once every two weeks was counted.

Almost all the people who were exposed to the rhinovirus were infected by it, but not everyone who was infected developed the signs and symptoms of a cold. The number of social relationships played a powerful role in protecting people who were infected from developing a cold.

Those reporting only one to three types of relationships had more than four times the risk of developing a cold than those reporting six or more types of relationships. Those having four to five types of relationships had an intermediate risk of developing a cold. These differences were not fully explained by antibody titers, exercise, amount of sleep, alcohol, vitamin C or other factors.

The diversity of relationships (having multiple types of relationships) was more important than the total number of people with whom they spoke at least once every two weeks. In short, social support increased the resistance to developing a cold even when they were infected with a virus that causes it.

Why? Dr. Janice Kiecolt-Glaser and Dr. Ronald Glaser have conducted some of the most interesting studies documenting the effects of relationships on the immune system. In their studies, they found that the immune system is less effective when you are in conflict with your spouse or companion, even when you are just married and you are otherwise happy. Instead of being a source of refuge, love, and support, it is particularly distressing when your spouse is a source of conflict. Women are more likely to show negative immunological changes than men. Also, the most negative couples had larger increases in blood pressure that remained elevated longer.

Much like the immune system itself, which operates at a cellular level, the hardworking vitamin C reaches every cell of the body. The concentration of vitamin C in both blood serum and tissues is quite high.¹ In fact, this nutrient plays a major role in the manufacture and defense of our connective tissue, the elaborate matrix that holds the body together. It serves as a primary ingredient of collagen, a glue-like substance that binds cells together to form tissues.

Vitamin C helps some of our most important body systems. First and foremost, it helps the immune system to fight off foreign invaders and tumor cells. Vitamin C also supports the cardiovascular system by facilitating fat metabolism and protecting tissues from free radical damage, and it assists the nervous system by converting certain amino acids into neurotransmitters. The skin, teeth and bones also benefit from vitamin C's collagen-forming and invader-resisting properties; this vitamin contributes to the maintenance of healthy bones, the prevention of periodontal disease and the healing of wounds. It even serves as a natural aspirin, of sorts, by combating inflammation and pain, according to Formula For Life. It accomplishes this task by inhibiting the secretion of the prostaglandins that contribute to such symptoms.²

As a water-soluble antioxidant, vitamin C is in a unique position to "scavenge" aqueous peroxyl radicals before these destructive substances have a chance to damage the lipids. It works along with vitamin E, a fat-soluble antioxidant, and the enzyme glutathione peroxidase to stop free radical chain reactions. Vitamin C can enhance the body's resistance to an assortment of diseases, including infectious disorders and many types of cancer. It strengthens and protects the immune system by stimulating the activity of antibodies and immune system cells such as phagocytes and neutrophils. Vitamin C contributes to a variety of other biochemical functions. These include the biosynthesis of the amino acid carnitine and the catecholamines that regulate the nervous system. It also helps the body to absorb iron and to break down histamine, the inflammatory component of many allergic reactions.

Vitamin C assists the immune system in two of its primary functions to rid the body of foreign invaders and to monitor the systems for any sign of tumor cells. It accomplishes these vital tasks by stimulating the production of white blood cells, primarily neutrophils, which attack foreign antigens such as bacteria and viruses. It also boosts the body's production of both antibodies and interferon, the protein that helps protect us from viral invaders and cancer cells. As a constituent of collagen, vitamin C may contribute to our immune defenses in an even more fundamental way: our skin and the epithelial lining of the body's orifices, both of which contain collagen, serve as our first line of defense against foreign invaders. They prevent these invaders from entering the body in the first place, where the immune system would have to go to war against them. Beyond that, vitamin C acts against the toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of environmental pollutants by stimulating liver detoxifying enzymes. It also stimulates the production of PGE1, a prostaglandin which assists lymphocytes, the defender cells in our immune system.

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