Vitamin C for people with colds: Benefits and side effects

Taking vitamin C can help shorten the duration of a cold, but this is only true for some people. Because colds can go away on their own without medication, when taking vitamin supplements, the symptoms of the disease are reduced, many people think that it is due to the effect of vitamin C.

The body cannot make vitamin C on its own, but we need vitamin C for immune function, bone structure, iron absorption, and healthy skin. Humans get vitamin C from their diet, usually found in citrus fruits, strawberries, green vegetables, and tomatoes. The recommended dietary allowance for men is 90 milligrams (mg) per day and for women is 75 mg per day.
At the first sign of cold symptoms, many people turn to Vitamin C, whether this compound is in supplement form, or in its natural form: fruits and vegetables are high in the vitamin. High C.
Vitamin C was first recommended for the common cold in the 1970s. Although vitamin C is widely used, experts say there is little scientific evidence to support the vitamin. C really has no effect on the common cold.
Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin that acts as an important antioxidant that the body uses to keep you healthy. Furthermore, vitamin C is known for its role in maintaining bones, muscles, and blood vessels. Not only that, vitamin C also has the function of supporting collagen formation and helping the body absorb iron.
Vitamin C is found naturally in foods such as: vegetables and fruits, especially oranges and other citrus fruits. This important vitamin is also available as a natural supplement in the form of vitamin C tablets and vitamin C chewable tablets.

For many years, vitamin C has been studied as a cure for colds or as a way to help prevent colds. But these findings are inconsistent. Overall, experts have found little or no benefit from vitamin C in preventing or treating the common cold.
In a few studies done before, researchers wanted to find out if taking 200mg or more of vitamin C per day could reduce the frequency, duration, or severity of cold symptoms. are not. After reviewing 60 years of clinical studies, they found that vitamin C supplements did not make colds shorter or worse. When taken daily, vitamin C can begin to greatly shorten the duration of colds by 8% in adults and 14% in children.
However, according to this study, the average adult who gets a cold 12 days a year will still get about 11 colds a year if he or she takes a high dose of vitamin C every day that year. As for the average child who is sick for about 28 days a year, taking a high dose of vitamin C daily can still be sick for about 24 days.
When vitamin C was tested to treat colds in 7 separate studies, vitamin C was found to be no more effective than placebo in shortening the duration of cold symptoms. The most convincing evidence to date comes from a review of 29 randomized trials with more than 11,000 participants. The researchers found that extremely active people, such as marathon runners, skiers, and the military who exercised heavily in subarctic conditions, took at least 200 mg of vitamin C. every day seems to halve the risk of catching a cold. But for the general population, taking a daily vitamin C supplement does not reduce the risk of catching a cold.

Vitamin C is quite safe when absorbed through food sources such as fruits and vegetables. However, high doses of vitamin C supplements (more than 2000 mg per day for adults) can cause symptoms of these conditions: kidney stones, nausea, and diarrhea.
If you are unsure about taking vitamin C to treat a cold, you should talk to your doctor. Vitamin C is often considered a natural cold remedy. Nutrients found in supplements promise to boost the immune system. Some suggestions to increase the role and function of vitamin C
If you want to test the benefits of vitamin C, you need to consume ingredients containing this vitamin every day, do not wait until the start of the treatment. cold symptoms.
It is best to get vitamin C from food. Scientists recommend eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day for general health and you'll get enough vitamin C. Besides, you should only supplement with the right amount of vitamin C, taking too much. always cause side effects and affect health.

If you are careful, you can consult with doctors and nutritionists about the dosage of vitamin C supplements to suit each person's condition.
Besides, if you suspect you have a cold but cannot determine if it's true or not, you can go to Vinmec International General Hospital to register for a general health check to determine the cause. timely intervention. The examination is carried out by a team of qualified doctors with international standard medical examination procedures. Therefore, customers can be assured of the quality and service of examination at Vinmec.

Reference source: webmd.com