Can vitamin C keep the common cold away?

Want to keep the common cold away this winter? Just drink more orange juice packed with vitamin C, right?

“We know that vitamin C does help your immune system function well,” says Dr. Jesse Bracamonte, a Mayo Clinic family physician. “Overall, though, vitamin C taken in extra doses to prevent common colds hasn’t proven true.”

Bracamonte says there is some limited research that additional vitamin C might speed up the recovery process slightly in some people. You should be getting an adequate amount of vitamin C if you’re including fruits and vegetables in your diet, but if you want to pump up the vitamin C even more, try a daily supplement.

“[In] most cases, it’s 500 milligrams of vitamin C,” Bracamonte says. “Too much of anything is not necessarily a good thing. You just want to be mindful of how much you’re taking, and you’re not exceeding the recommendations of the daily allowance.”

— MAYO CLINIC NEWS NETWORK