Can Vitamin C Cure Colds?

I am going to have to disagree with this article as well. I have found time and time again (and this is not coincedence anymore) that when I LOAD UP with Vitamim C, oranges, juice, or other Vitamin C based foods, blueberries, berries, even the Bolthouse C Boost - I've noticed a short short cold, and symptoms starting to improve a lot sooner. You can't just have one orange though, you truly have to load up on Vitamin C to 'kick' it out of you. I swear C works.

The study they use as evidence only used 200mg doses, while the only claims I have ever heard for curing a cold with vitamin C are in the 10,000mg dose range. Both the study and this article don't appear to be well researched.

I totally disagree from personal experience. I frequently have averted oncoming colds by drinking lots of orange juice. I did this as recently as today, when I woke up with a fever and a sore throat. I drank a galon and I am completely relieved of my symptoms. Every time I have symptoms, I do this and I have suceeded in immediately stopping all cold symptoms countless times.

My personal experience has always been that taking an extra vitamin C supplement, while sick with a cold, seems to shorten the duration of that cold. No one will ever be able to convince me otherwise. However, I drink a glass of orange juice every day, and I still fall victim to a Cold anyway.

When I have a cold, I drink a ton of orange juice. This is from a person who as a child hated orange juice. The citrus in the juice alone helps in the process of alleviating cold symptoms... What else is there...except alcohol.... the whole secret is to dry up the body to feel better.... But sleep is definitely the cure....Willing yourself to get under those covers and sleep the cold out rids the body of a cold faster.....So sleep + orange juice + chicken soup equals faster recovery... I hate colds....

I don't know if Vitamin c is effective in reducing the incidence of the common cold. What I do know is
that before taking Vitamin c ,on a regular basis, I would get one or two devastating colds per year.
Since my daily intake of 500 mg of vitamin c ,for the past 5 years, I have had one minor cold that lasted for two days. This result, though anectdotal, is enough for me.

The AMA and the big drug companies do not want it publicized that Vitamin C has been widely studied and proved to shirnk and dissapear cancerous tumors and cure Avian Flu. This only works when Sodium ascorbate is given intravenously in doses of 30 to 200 gm a day.

There have been numerous studies proving that very high doses of intravenous sodium ascorbate actually shirnks (sometimes disappears) cancerous tumors. The drug companies and the AMA do not want this to be publicized until they can get the distribution and possession of Ascorbic Acid controlled (by them).

"Vitamin C and the Common Cold" has little scientific backing? Has he ever read the book? It is packed full with scientific studies and references. One of the most rigorous science books I have ever read.

I don't have years of data or research to back me on this. However, when I come down with a cold, large doses of Vitamin C(8-10,000 mg) a day has it gone in a day or two tops. I have never experienced adverse side effects. As soon as symptoms present themselves, I start taking the painfull to swallow 1000mg pills and it seems that the cold never really grabs hold. Maybe it's just me, but this article will not keep me from taking my cold stopping vitamin C.

What are the side effects of 2 to 3 grams of Vitamin C per day? Are these side effect harmful or just embarassing? I am very interest in finding out the answer to this question. Thank you

chinnock@11/28/2007
What are the side effects of 1 to 2 grams of Vitamin C per day as mentioned in Korpster? I would be very interested to know if any of these side effects are harmful or just embarassing?

Well 1st let me say that the reason why Vitamin C does not have that good of an effect on the common cold is because; Vitamin C deals mostly with Neutrophils and the fight against bacterial infections. The second mistake is that people take way to much zinc, (zinc lozenges) the toxicity level is 10times that of the (RDA/DAY >150mg/day) so by taking to many lozenges in a day can lead to a slower recover time. Zinc is good to take just not in high dosages. Another mistake is that people do not consume enough protein when they are sick which has been shown to be linked to immunosuppressive disorders. The big thing is taking Vitamin A because the common cold is called a Rhinovirus, which means that Vitamin A supports lymphocytes, and has been shown to reverse immunosuppression. Garlic has been shown to have anti-viral affects. The list can go on and on, please make sure that you seek a doctor who is educated in nutrition or a licensed nutritionist for the proper dosages. Also make sure that the people posting these articles are actually getting their sources from reliable and published articles. Of course normal people only think about vitamin C, there are other nutrients out there. Just another way for medical doctors to keep the public blind of what is really out there, doctors don???t get paid for giving vitamin advice. www.ajcn.org

When scientists talk about the effects of Vitamin C on colds, they are talking megadoses of 1,000-2,000 mg per day. So no-- 200mg or an "extra glass of orange juice" won't change anything...that is not what the believers of this theory are arguing.

From www.naturaldatabase.com:
"There is a lot of controversy about the effectiveness of vitamin C for treating the common cold (1969,1989,7100,9835,9836). However, the majority of evidence shows that taking high doses of vitamin C orally might decrease the duration of cold symptoms by 1-1.5 days in some patients (1966,1967,1968,1987,6458,7102,9832). Other studies have found no effect with doses up to 3 grams daily (9833). Some research suggests vitamin C may be more effective for treating cold symptoms in children than in adults. There may also be a dose-dependent response; doses of at least 2 grams per day seem to work better than 1 gram doses (9834). Tell patients that the high doses used for treating the common cold, 1-3 grams daily, can increase the risk of side effects. Some patients might not think the modest benefit is worth the risk. Explain to patients that taking vitamin C supplements prophylactically does not decrease the risk of catching a cold (1966,1967,1968,1987,3042,6458,7101,9832). Dietary intake of vitamin C also doesn't seem to affect the risk of getting a cold (10780)."

does vitamin c stand for caca????

M Vitamn C experience started When I had a sinus infection and overdosed on antihistamines. After asking my pharmacist for an anthistamine that didn't raise myblood pressre he said only one - "Vitamin C". Becase the body prges this Vitamin after a couple of hours, I take time release version only. As a scba dive instructor, I mst keep my sinuses clear so I take 2000 mg time release every morning and 1000mg at night and will doble that if I feel a cold coming on. I believe people do not take enough. Try 2-3 grams and the effect is nmistakable.