Vitamin C

As soon as you come down with the sniffles, everybody will give you the same advice: go get some Vitamin C! It's as if the world considers this vitamin the universal cure all for any sort of cold. Sure, honey and lemon tea is often posited as a good supplement, chicken soup, even Echinacea, but Vitamin C is the champ, recommended by one and all and forming the backbone of many over the counter cold-supplements. But does it work? Is there scientific evidence that Vitamin C can make a difference when you've already got a cold? Or are we all futilely popping pills?

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is not produced naturally by human beings. As such, we have to consume it to keep our levels up, and the failure to do so can cause a condition once known as 'scurvy', where connective tissue degenerates, your teeth fall out and you look like a pirate that's been out at sea for too long. The reason for this is that Vitamin C's main function is to help your body synthesize collagen, which is a crucial structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments and bone. While Vitamin C plays numerous other roles in the body, it's famous as a highly effective anti-oxidant, and can protect vital molecules in the body such as proteins, lipids, carbs, and DNA/RNA from damage by free radicals.

With all these amazing qualities, it's no wonder Vitamin C has drawn so much attention, with many people focusing on the Vitamin's role in strengthening our immune system. It's been shown to stimulate the production and function of leukocytes (white blood cells), which are instrumental in a healthy immune system. However, numerous placebo-controlled scientific studies have been done on the ability of Vitamin C to actually help the immune response when under attack from the common cold, and results have been conflicting. A meta-analysis of 30 placebo-controlled prevention trials found that Vitamin C supplementation in doses of up to 2 grams/day does not decrease the incidence of colds.

However! A key study showed that soldiers, marathon runners and skiers in a controlled experiment in the Artic showed a decrease in cold incidence of w whopping 50%. So while overall the use of Vitamin C has not been shown to help once have a cold, it can help prevent colds when you are in situations that are stressful, such as those exposed to cold weather.

What are we supposed to take from this? Vitamin C supplementation has been shown to prevent colds in the long run, or lower your chances of getting them. But running to the store the day you come down with the sniffles for a vitamin boost? Ineffective!

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