Preventing Colds with Vitamin C

About the Common Cold

A cold is a viral respiratory infection that produces uncomfortable symptoms such as sore throat, fatigue, runny nose, sneezing, congestion, coughing, and muscle aches. A typical cold lasts between seven and fourteen days, though the exact duration will depend on the severity of the infection and each individual’s overall health level and immune system response. Severe colds can weaken the body and lead to secondary infections such as strep throat, pneumonia, and bronchitis.

Colds are spread through direct contact as well as infected water droplets expelled into the air through coughing and sneezing. While there is no correlation to weather temperature and how easy it is to contract a cold, more individuals report cold-like symptoms between September and April than during other months of the year. During colder weather, contagion is more likely because people interact more closely indoors.

Colds are responsible for the most doctor visits and lost productivity of any type of infection, but if preventing colds with Vitamin C is possible, those statistics could change.

About Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water soluble nutrient necessary for many body functions, including the health, growth, and repair of cells and bones. With strong antioxidant properties, Vitamin C is often touted as a powerful preventative for mild infections such as the common cold.

Is Preventing Colds with Vitamin C Possible?

In the 1970s, Nobel prize winning chemist Linus Pauling published a book, “Vitamin C and the Common Cold,” proposing that high doses of Vitamin C could prevent cold infections. While the book quickly became a bestseller, modern scientific studies have refuted its claim, time and again. Thousands of participants have been carefully observed and their Vitamin C intake carefully monitored, and no preventative properties have been discovered when individuals take large amounts of Vitamin C throughout the year.

When an individual regularly consumes an adequate supply of Vitamin C, however, it has been shown that they are less likely to contract colds. This is particularly effective with children and individuals who are prone to contract multiple cold viruses. It is not known, however, if this is the result of the body having a steady supply of Vitamin C or if individuals who regularly get enough of the nutrient naturally have stronger immune systems because they also ingest adequate supplies of many other vitamins.

Treating Colds with Vitamin C

Ease colds with Vitamin C.

While high doses of Vitamin C may not work to prevent colds, they can substantially reduce the severity and duration of cold infections. In similar scientific studies, individuals who took large doses of Vitamin C as soon as they felt cold symptoms coming on could shorten the infection’s duration by up to half, and many reported milder symptoms after taking more Vitamin C. This seems particularly effective with children as well as individuals who regularly engage in strenuous exercise. Overall, however, studies are incomplete and Vitamin C is not regularly prescribed as a medical treatment for cold infections.

Individuals who want to try easing a cold with high doses of Vitamin C should investigate different supplemental forms of the nutrient, including lozenges, cough drops, and fortified teas. While orange juice and certain foods high in Vitamin C have good doses of the nutrient, supplements have a stronger concentration that is more effective at easing cold symptoms. Supplements should always be taken properly, however, to avoid potential complications from overdose and vitamin toxicity.

Additional Cold Treatments

In addition to taking extra Vitamin C to ward off the common cold, other treatments can help shorten the disease, including:

• Plenty of rest
• Drinking fluids to stay hydrated – drink fortified orange juice for an extra jolt of Vitamin C
• Using over the counter medicines to relieve symptoms

It should be noted that because colds are caused by a viral infection, antibiotic drugs are ineffective and will not shorten a cold’s duration. Antibiotics may be prescribed in severe cases, however, to help alleviate secondary bacterial infections.

Preventing colds with Vitamin C is a popular, but misguided, folk remedy. While Vitamin C should always be part of a healthy diet, extra doses of the nutrient can only lessen colds, not prevent them.