Is Vitamin C Effective for Colds?

The National Institute of Health takes the position that vitamin C is not effective as a cold treatment.

More Info: More than thirty clinical trials with a combined rate of over ten-thousand participants have been conducted to measure the effect of vitamin C on the common cold in terms of developing, frequency, severity of symptoms, and duration. A few promising studies did show positive results in relation to vitamin C intake and the duration a cold may last, but no study has yet been so conclusive as to cause the medical community to shout accolades.

One significant study analyzing data from previous studies indicated that those participants that were given vitamin C supplementation and were exposed to extreme exercise or cold environments experienced a shorter cold duration than those participants in the normal population taking the same supplementation.

Did You Know: A person consuming a healthy diet containing a variety of fruits and vegetables every day does not require vitamin C supplementation.

Did You Know: It really is easy to get your recommended daily allowance of vitamin C with little to no effort. An orange and a half-cup of broccoli are sufficient sources for a whole day.

Did You Know: Though orange juice generally comes to mind when considering vitamin C, one-cup of strawberries actually contains more vitamin C.

National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. " Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)http://www.nlm.nih.gov/

Cochrane Database System Review "Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold.18.3 (2007): CD000980. Print.

"Is Vitamin C Effective for Colds?." Sophisticated Edge. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://www.sophisticatededge.com/is-vitamin-c-effective-for-colds1.html>.

Quote: "In 'ordinary people,' vitamin C does not prevent colds. This is an important conclusion because lots of 'ordinary people' are taking vitamin C with the belief that vitamin C prevents colds. But there seem to be some groups of people who seem to get the benefit of vitamin C supplementation for a preventive purpose: people under heavy short-term physical stress are the most explicit group."

Source: Harri Hemilä, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Public Health at the University of Helsinki in Finland

(Medscape)

Quote: "Otherwise healthy kids are pretty good at shaking off colds. The best medicine is helping them get extra sleep - and giving them plenty of vitamin-C-rich fluids."

Source: Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., an expert on herbal medicine

(drweil.com)

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