Vitamin C for colds - Does that really help?

Vitamin C actually helps with colds?

A certain amount of vitamin C is indispensable for your health. Some also see the vitamin as a true miracle cure for colds. Is it really helpful with infections??

Taking vitamin C for colds

When the throat is scratching or the nose is running, some people try to fight the oncoming cold with extra vitamin C. But studies show that such drugs "have no effect on the symptoms and the duration of a cold, if they are taken at the beginning of the common cold," explains the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) on his portal "gesundheitsinformation.de" , However, there is a lot that really helps with colds.

The intake of vitamin C supplements at the start of the cold has, according to studies, no demonstrable effect on the symptoms and the duration of the disease. Most people take with the daily food anyway completely sufficient amounts of the vitamin. (Image: bit24 / fotolia.com)

Natural home remedies for colds

In the case of a cold, it is important to rest and drink a lot. Through an increased fluid intake, the stubborn mucus dissolves better and the secretions in the nose are diluted.

Many colds also swear by ginger tea. The miracle ginger has an anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, the sharpness of this natural remedy irritates the mucous membranes and promotes blood circulation.

Even cooking steam inhalations for the face are a proven home remedy for colds. These have an expectorant, secretory and anti-inflammatory.

It is also advisable to put a bowl of water on the heater and air several times a day.

Experts also usually recommend taking a cold every now and then - but not when you have a fever.

Sufficient amount of vitamin C in the diet

However, some people swear that it is best to fight their cold with taking vitamin C supplements.

Although a certain amount of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is indispensable for the health, most of them absorb quite sufficient amounts with their daily nutrition.

Some of these supplements contain more than one gram of vitamin C, more than ten times the recommended daily allowance. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) believes that a daily intake of 100 milligrams with food is sufficient.

Because the body can not store vitamin C, the excess usually ends up in urine in the toilet within a few hours. In higher doses, regular intake of the vitamin can sometimes cause diarrhea.

Shortened cold period

Even if the intake of vitamin C at the beginning of the cold has no demonstrable effect on the symptoms and duration of the disease, preventive use may make sense.

As the IQWiG writes on "gesundheitsinformation.de", studies showed that "a longer-term daily intake did not prevent the common cold, but shortened the cold period by about 10 percent."

And further: "In addition, the long-lasting vitamin C intake could alleviate the cold symptoms."

In some studies, the preventive effects of vitamin C have been studied in people "who have been exposed for a short time to very heavy physical activity from exercise, often in conjunction with cold. These included, for example, marathoners and soldiers doing winter exercises in the mountains. "

The participants started taking vitamin C "preventively" two to three weeks before the heavy load. This prevented about half of all colds. "(Ad)