Vitamin C won’t help with your cold, sorry
Consider vitamin C consumption during the sneezin’ season and you find yourself in the proverbial good-news, bad-news situation.
The bad news: It won’t keep you from getting a cold, or provide relief when you do.
“A lot of people take a lot of vitamin C, thinking it’ll prevent them from getting sick, or reduce their symptoms,” said Shera Shaul, a registered dietitian who’s on staff at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. “There’s no research that indicates that vitamin C or foods rich in it will help reduce your risk of getting the common cold.”
On the other hand, Shaul noted, people who do consume vitamin C regularly may find themselves with milder symptoms when they eventually get sick.
So how much should you consume? Never more than 2,000 milligrams a day, Shaul said, pointing out that, in her experience, “a lot of people are taking megadoses at this time of year.”
Consuming more than 2,000 milligrams a day isn’t necessarily dangerous, because vitamin C is water-soluble and excessive amounts will wash away in your urine. But if you’re taking supplements you’re wasting money if much of what you take simply keeps going through your system. And besides, Shaul said, too much vitamin C can cause unpleasant abdominal issues, including bloating, diarrhea or plain old discomfort.
And about those supplements: As is the case with many nutrients, it’s best to get your vitamin C not from pills but from produce.
“You can easily meet the requirements by eating three to four servings of fruits and vegetables a day,” Shaul said.
Foods particularly rich in vitamin C include citrus fruits, mangoes, pineapple, broccoli, spinach and green, leafy vegetables.
But beyond just minimizing cold symptoms, vitamin C is beneficial to the body in other ways, Shaul said. For one thing, it’s an antioxidant.
“It can actually help slow down your aging process,” she said. “What it does is combat free radicals, which contribute to the aging process and build up over time. When you’re fighting them you can slow down the aging process, reducing wrinkles and making your skin look overall healthy.”
Most importantly, she said, fighting free radicals can help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.
And vitamin C builds your body — literally.
“Vitamin C is used for growth and repair of almost all tissues in your body,” Shaul said, “because it makes collagen. Collagen is what is used to make up your skin, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels, which goes further into the aging process and wound healing.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, foods rich in vitamin C also aid in the absorption of iron from plant sources, when consumed at the same meal. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture lists cantaloupes, strawberries, green peppers, collard greens, kale, kiwis and papayas as among the best sources of the vitamin (along with those mentioned above). Honeydew melon, Brussels sprouts, mustard and turnip greens, sweet potatoes, cabbage, baked potatoes and watermelon are other good sources.
Our bodies don’t make vitamin C, the USDA points out, so be sure to eat your fruits and vegetables.
“The best way to get your vitamin C,” Shaul said, “is to eat a balanced diet.”
Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.
