1.5g of Vitamin C do not Alter Neutrophil Function in Athletes: ROS & SOA Elevations Remain Unchanged

The verdict is still out there on whether antioxidant supplementation before or around exercise is a good or a bad thing for professional athletes. A recent study by Yamai et al. (Yamai. 2011) which investigated the effect of 1.5g of vitamin C /day on the neutrophil function of judoists found no evidence for either of the propositions - neutrophil counts were not statistically different between the two groups of the 22 male judoists after a 7-day intensified training camp for:

[...]although the typical changes seen following a single bout of normal exercise, namely an increase in SOA [serum opsonic activity] and ROS [reactive oxygen species], and a decrease in PA [neutrophil phagocytic activity], were recorded following the pre- and post-camp ULEs in both groups, significant difference in change rates were not seen between both groups.

These results go hand in hand with many other more recent investigations into the beneficial effects of vitamin C and combinations of antioxidants (a factor the scientists raise in their discussion of the results) on exercise performance in (elite) athletes. So, even if vitamin C won't hurt you, it probably won't help either.