The Study
Megadose vitamin C in treatment of the common cold: a randomised controlled trial
This study is like a detective noticing that people who took lots of vitamin C didn't get better faster from colds. It shows a clue but can't prove vitamin C doesn't work because we don't know how the study was done.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave adults with colds either a lot or a little vitamin C to see if it helped.
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 527 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Taking extra vitamin C right when you get a cold doesn't make it shorter or less severe.
- 2No difference in how long or bad colds were between groups.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Medical Journal of Australia
Year
2001
Authors
C. Audera, Roger Patulny, B. Sander, R. Douglas
Related Content
Claims (2)
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 very high doses of vitamin C right when you start feeling a cold won't make the cold shorter or less severe for healthy adults compared to taking normal amounts.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.