Vitamin C Really Does Reduce the Severity of a Cold, Says Science

Finding time to exercise is difficult enough for most of us in today’s hectic world, so any supplement that we can take to avoid missing too many sessions due to illness has got to be seen as a huge plus. Fortunately, a recent study has highlighted the importance of vitamin C as relates to the common cold, but don’t wait until it’s too late. Here’s what you need to know.

Sneezing, scratching, and runny noses derailed the training plans of millions of us last year. In fact, it is estimated that we contract 2 to 4 colds every year, totaling 1 billion colds among us all. Not only do colds force us to forego the gym, but they play havoc with our working life and make us miserable for 1 to 2 weeks per episode, often making us unable to leave the house during that time. It stands to reason then, that anything we can take now, to reduce any future anguish and get us back out of the front door must be worth a serious look.

Fortunately, the answer to our problems may not lie in an expensive modern supplement, but rather in the humble vitamin C tablet. According to a meta-analysis published by Examine.com; “proactively supplementing with vitamin C reduced the severity of a common cold episode.” And, it works best when taken well in advance of contracting one. So, with colds becoming most prevalent in the western world towards the end of the summer and beginning of fall, now is the time to get with the program.

How Does Vitamin C Effect the Common Cold?

Data from adults and children aged 8 to 44 without any other known health conditions made up the baseline for randomized controlled trials. Compared to placebo, studies showed that vitamin C reduced the number of days that subjects were confined to the house by 15% and was also thought to reduce the severity of symptoms by up to a massive 66%.

Vitamin C (ascorbic water) has long been hailed for its benefit on the immune system, and this recent data will make sure that it is a firm favorite for generations to come. Still, it is important to note that vitamin C did not appear to reduce the overall duration of the cold, but rather its ability to improve symptoms and make participants more active in some cases. Still, the encouraging data from those studies within the meta-analysis will be seen as a strong sign that vitamin C is crucial for fighting colds and getting back in action sooner.

As noted, the best approach is to take vitamin C proactively, and that means having it in your system before the onset of a cold to give the best chance of helping you to fight it once contracted. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and will strengthen the immune system over time, so it should be part of your daily nutrition goals all year round. In addition to buying vitamin C in pill or soluble form, it is also readily available in citrus fruits like oranges, strawberries, and grapefruit. In the meta-analysis, subjects had taken a minimum of 1g to see positive results.