Cold Remedies | Vitamin C Doesn’t Cure Colds

As cold and flu season approaches, demand Vitamin C Dietary Supplements (Ascorbic Acid) The idea is that increasing your daily dose of this nutrient can prevent and relieve the symptoms of respiratory illnesses.Vitamin C is essential for a healthy diet and has a recognized role in maintaining the immune system, but Its benefits are sometimes exaggerated. Consuming it neither prevents nor fights viral infections. It’s not even proven to relieve your symptoms.

África González, professor of immunology at the University of Vigo (UVigo), explains that vitamin C, as an antioxidant, can help Reduces inflammation and keeps mucous membranes in good condition, but does not prevent the onset of infection. “Many studies have been conducted but have not concluded that it can cure or prevent colds,” experts say.

Dr. Jorge Cameselle Primary care and researchers note that vitamin C, which is found naturally in many foods, in addition to being an antioxidant, is an important cofactor in many enzymatic reactions, which helps Correct synthesis of collagen, carnitine and neuropeptides, and also intervenes in the regulation of gene expression. However, it excludes its role as a preventive and therapeutic agent. “In fact, the U.S. Drug Administration (FDA) believes a nutrient rather than drugs,” he elaborated.

The recommended daily intake of vitamin C is 75 mg per day for women – 85 mg during pregnancy, up to 120 mg during breastfeeding – and Men 90 mg. An orange or a serving of strawberries, peppers or broccoli can provide a daily dose of the vitamin. Exceeding it does not enhance the health of a healthy and well-nourished person.This is because vitamin C is water-soluble, so The body eliminates excess substances through urine.

“Those who are malnourished and have low vitamin C levels (severe deficiency can lead to scurvy, which can lead to anemia, bleeding gums, bruising and poor wound healing) may be recommended supplementation. But If our levels are normal, giving more will have no effect. It’s like we have a glass full of water: if we add more water, the water leaks out of the glass,” explains África González.

People with kidney disease should not take vitamin C supplements, and while others can tolerate excess amounts of this nutrient, exceeding its limit (2,000 mg per day) may cause Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, stomach (abdominal) cramps, and headache, as well as increasing the risk of kidney stones. In addition, extremely high concentrations of vitamin C can interfere with the results of stool tests for occult blood or blood sugar, and can even reduce the effectiveness of certain drugs (such as statins) to treat high cholesterol.

“Vitamin C is released very well through urine, so unwanted items are easily excreted, but always We should seek medical advice and avoid self-medication” said the immunologist.

Most multivitamin supplements contain vitamin C, but it can also be purchased alone, as a dietary supplement, or combined with other nutrients. Generally, these dietary supplements contain vitamin C ascorbic acid formbut some contain other forms such as sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, other mineral ascorbates, and ascorbic acid containing bioflavonoids.

Anyway, experts recommend Get this nutrient through your diet and avoid these supplementsEat fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, oranges, strawberries, kiwis and peppers regularly throughout the year – not just in the winter. “The ideal is to take breakfast orange juice Every day, if a person smokes or drinks alcohol, that’s even more important,” said Jorge Cameselle.

The problem, he believes, is that overall, people consume very little fruit and vegetables. “It is not so much giving a large dose as something that contributes nothing. The preventive measure is to take the necessary daily dose of vitamin C, which is ensured by a balanced diet, including How many servings of fruits and vegetables should you consume each day?“, he insisted.

Immunologists say that in order to protect yourself, the most important thing in winter is Don’t catch a coldespecially in the throat, always keep the mucous membranes adequately hydrated, Breathe through nose Don’t take it by mouth, exercise regularly, sleep six to eight hours a day, and avoid the excesses that are common this time of year.

The belief that vitamin C can prevent colds has a long history. This nutrient has been proposed to treat respiratory infections since it was isolated in the 1930s, although the idea gained popularity in the 1970s with the publication of Vitamin C by chemist Linus Pauling. and the Common Cold” book has been enhanced.

The two-time Nobel Prize winner advanced the idea that high doses of vitamin C (3,000 milligrams per day) could put an end to the common cold and fight more serious illnesses like heart disease and cancer. But Pauling’s claims about the benefits of large doses of vitamin C have never withstood rigorous investigation. “His work is not very rigorous. from a scientific perspective and Their conclusions are dubious, to say the least, and not very credible.”, says Dr. Cameselle.

This vitamin has also been studied for its beneficial effects against SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has not shown that it helps prevent coronavirus infection or reduce the severity of its symptoms.

The doctor said social networks not only facilitate such scams but also amplify them. “The ease with which pseudoscientific claims, by which I mean suggestions without scientific backing, are spread online is a real danger Because they are ultimately based on certain unsubstantiated statements,” he warned.

Although there is no scientific evidence, vitamin C consumption also provides benefits over other processes. “There are conflicting studies on the effects of high doses of vitamin C. In in vitro studies it appears that Reduce cell proliferation in certain types of cancer cell lines. But these results have not yet been confirmed in animal or human studies. Clinical trials have not progressed beyond Phase I or II, and results indicate it is nontoxic and well tolerated. There are still some questions about whether it will interfere with any drugs used in oncology,” the doctor commented.