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Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold.

R M Douglas1, E B Chalker, B Treacy

  • 1National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 0200. Bob.Douglas@anu.edu.au

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|May 5, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Regular high-dose vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplementation does not prevent colds. However, taking vitamin C at the onset of cold symptoms may modestly reduce symptom duration.

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Area of Science:

  • Nutrition Science
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The efficacy of oral ascorbic acid (vitamin C) for preventing and treating the common cold remains a subject of debate.
  • Numerous clinical trials and meta-analyses have addressed this topic, yet consensus is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if regular high-dose vitamin C supplementation reduces cold incidence.
  • To assess the therapeutic effect of high-dose vitamin C when taken at the onset of cold symptoms.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of randomized and non-randomized trials on vitamin C for cold prevention and treatment.
  • Data extraction and quality assessment by two independent reviewers, focusing on trials from previous reviews (Kleijnen 1989, Hemila 1992).

Main Results:

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  • Thirty trials were included, with variable quality.
  • High-dose vitamin C (up to 1g daily) showed no consistent effect on cold incidence.
  • A modest, variable therapeutic effect was observed in reducing cold symptom duration (8-9% reduction in symptom days).
  • Evidence suggests larger doses may be more beneficial when initiated after symptom onset.

Conclusions:

  • Long-term, high-dose vitamin C supplementation does not prevent colds.
  • Ingesting relatively high doses of vitamin C appears to offer a modest benefit in reducing cold symptom duration.
  • Further research is needed to clarify the dose-response relationship for therapeutic benefits.