Vitamin C Supplementation: Can It Prevent A Cold?

One of the most popular word-of-mouth cold remedies is to dose up on vitamin C.
But does boosting your vitamin C intake do anything to prevent or shorten colds?
Some studies suggest taking vitamin C has a modest effect on the common cold , but don't expect miracles, one expert says.
"It's fair to say that vitamin C supplementation both shortens
duration of cold and offers some protection against colds, though it's not very dramatic," said Stephen Lawson, a researcher at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, who studies micronutrients.
A 2013 review of dozens of studies found that vitamin C reduces the duration of colds by 8 percent in adults, and 14 percent in children. Considering that the average cold lasts about a week, that reduction translates to about one less day of symptoms.




Source: livescience.com