The Study
Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold.
This is a summary of many vitamin C studies put together. It shows that vitamin C might help some people under certain conditions, but we can't be completely sure because we only have a short summary of the research.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
This study looked at whether taking vitamin C pills every day stops or shortens colds.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 533 / 100
Quality score
The highest quality evidence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that pool randomized controlled trials, giving the most reliable summary of experimental evidence.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The benefit is small for most people but may be helpful for those under high physical stress.
- 2Vitamin C didn't stop colds for most people, but it helped some athletes and soldiers get 50% fewer colds.
- 3It made colds a little shorter for kids and adults.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews
Year
2007
Authors
R. Douglas, H. Hemilä, E. Chalker, B. Treacy
Related Content
Claims (5)
This claim says that taking lots of vitamin C, echinacea, garlic, or vitamin D doesn't actually help you get better from a cold, according to real studies done on people.
Taking vitamin C pills every day doesn't really help prevent colds for most people, according to research.
Taking vitamin C pills cuts your chances of catching a cold in half if you're doing really tough activities like running marathons, skiing, or military training in freezing cold places.
Taking vitamin C regularly might help you get over a cold faster—about 8% quicker for adults and 14% for kids, according to a big study.
Taking vitamin C after you already have cold symptoms doesn't make your cold shorter or less severe compared to taking a fake pill.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.