Latest Randomized Clinical Trial in China Validates That NAC Helps COVID-19 Patients Recover Faster and Helps in Long COVID
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Dec 16, 2025 6 hours, 20 minutes ago
Medical News: Supplement Shows Promise in Improving Long COVID Symptoms
A new clinical study has found that long-term use of the antioxidant supplement N-acetylcysteine, or NAC, can significantly speed up the recovery process and improve the overall quality of life in people who had COVID-19. This six-month randomized, double-blind trial was carried out by researchers from several leading institutions including the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Shanxi Medical University, the Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Diseases Risk Assessment, and the Beijing University of Chemical Technology.
Long-term use of NAC speed up COVID-19 recovery and ease lingering symptoms
The study included 63 hospitalized COVID-19 patients from five designated hospitals in Shanxi Province, China, with patients followed for six months after discharge. All participants received standard treatment, but one group was also given NAC supplements—600 mg taken twice daily from hospitalization through six months after leaving the hospital.
This
Medical News report highlights that the research was driven by the need to find effective long-term therapies for COVID-19 recovery, especially since many people continue to experience lingering symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness, and cough even after the infection clears. NAC, a compound derived from the amino acid L-cysteine, is known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and mucus-thinning properties. The supplement has been used in other respiratory illnesses, and its potential to treat post-COVID symptoms made it an ideal candidate for study.
Marked Improvement in Quality of Life
To measure progress, researchers used a tool known as the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), which collects data directly from patients about how their breathing symptoms impact their daily lives. The lower the score on the questionnaire, the better the patient's respiratory health and quality of life.
At each follow-up point—one month, three months, and six months after discharge—those in the NAC group consistently showed greater improvements in their SGRQ scores than those in the placebo group. In particular, by the third and sixth month, the NAC group had significantly better scores in categories like activity level and impact on daily life. For example, the improvement in the "impact" score reached statistical significance as early as one month after discharge, while the "activity" and "total" scores showed substantial improvement from the third month onward.
What made the results even more compelling was a type of advanced analysis known as the Generalized Estimation Equation (GEE), which confirmed that NAC treatment had a strong and statistically significant effect on the speed of recovery. The findings of the study clearly shows that the NAC group experienced a sharper decline in symptom severity over time compared to the placebo group.
A Long-
Term Strategy for Post COVID Care
This research stands out because, unlike earlier trials that tested short-term high-dose intravenous NAC treatments with mixed results, this study focused on sustained oral dosing over a six-month period. By maintaining antioxidant levels and supporting lung repair over time, NAC helped patients recover more quickly and return to a better quality of life.
Researchers suggest that NAC may help neutralize harmful molecules known as reactive oxygen species and restore levels of glutathione, a key antioxidant in the body. This could help reduce chronic inflammation and tissue damage—two major causes of long COVID symptoms. In essence, the study shows that NAC might not be a quick fix for severe illness but is very helpful in supporting long-term recovery.
Need for Broader Studies
While the findings are promising, the researchers noted a few limitations. The sample size was relatively small, and all patients were from a single province in China. More extensive trials in other regions are needed to confirm the results and understand how NAC might help different patient groups.
Still, this well-designed study adds strong evidence that a simple, widely available supplement like NAC could become an important part of COVID-19 recovery plans, especially for those struggling with long-term symptoms. As the world continues to seek answers for long COVID, treatments like NAC offer a glimmer of hope for patients and healthcare providers alike.
The study findings were published on a preprint server and are currently being peer reviewed.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.10.25342003v1
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/coronavirus
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/long-covid
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