It seems like everyone has a bit of a cough or sore throat today. That common cold is a bit annoying but luckily, there's a million claims about any number of vitamin/mineral/herb supplements that can help your immune system out! What holds up to the science? What can you tell your patients/friends/family? Here's a quick breakdown of the evidence for/against the popular ones: 1. Vitamin C - Go into any drug store in the winter and you're bombarded by Emergen- C and Airborne as soon as you enter. Their box covers usually advertise that they've got 1000mg of vitamin C - yay!! right? The clinical trials are actually pretty dim regarding Vitamin C's ability to prevent or treat the common cold . The latest Cochrane review (1) on vitamin C supplementation showed a very small benefit for regular supplementation with Vitamin C (generally over 1g/day), and no effect for therapeutic use (started at beginning of onset). The only individuals that Vitamin C may be beneficial...
Nutritional Sciences: Basic Science and Clinical Perspectives