Health · Public Health & Disease · 7 hrs ago
Vitamin C supplements do not prevent colds for most people, research finds
Vitamin C supplements do not prevent colds for most people, according to research discussed by experts.
The story focuses on whether people in the UK should take the supplement during winter, when coughs and colds are circulating.
Adults are advised to get 40 milligrams of vitamin C a day, and the story says one in five Britons do not reach that amount.
People under extreme physical stress may be an exception: trials found vitamin C reduced their risk of catching a cold.
For the wider population, a review of 29 trial comparisons found no reduction in how often people caught colds.
Regular vitamin C may modestly ease a cold, with reviews finding shorter or less severe symptoms, especially when supplements were taken before illness began.
For adults, the reported reduction in cold duration was about half a day for a typical week-long cold.
Regular vitamin C supplements do not prevent common colds for most people, a review of trials found.
The article says people under extreme physical stress, such as endurance athletes, may be less likely to catch a cold when taking vitamin C.
Regular supplementation may shorten colds and reduce symptom severity, but the reported benefits were found in people who started taking it before becoming ill.
The article says adults need 40 milligrams of vitamin C daily, an amount available from foods such as half an orange.
- Who
- Researchers whose trials and reviews were discussed, including Professor Adrian Gombart of Oregon State University.
- What
- Research finds vitamin C supplements do not prevent common colds for most people, though some groups may benefit.
- When
- The article was published on November 9, 2026. The date of the Cochrane review on cold prevention is not stated.
- Where
- The article discusses research and advice relevant to the general population; Gombart is at Oregon State University in the United States.
- Why
- The research examined whether vitamin C prevents colds or affects their duration and severity.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A Cochrane review published in BMC Public Health found that oral doses of at least 1,000 mg reduced cold symptom severity by 15 per cent compared with a placebo.
The Daily Mail published its report on vitamin C supplements and cold prevention.
- Daily adult requirement
- 40 milligrams of vitamin C
- Prevention review
- 29 trial comparisons involving 11,306 participants
- Extreme physical stress
- Trials used 1,000 to 2,000 mg per day, starting at least two weeks before physical activity
- Symptom severity
- At least 1,000 mg reduced severity by 15 per cent in a 2023 review
- Cold duration
- Regular supplementation was associated with reductions of 14 per cent in children and 8 per cent in adults
What people are saying
Five trials have shows that vitamin c supplementation can halve the incidence of colds in people undergoing extreme physical stress - such as endurance sport like running
Vitamin C supplementation shortened the duration of severe, but not mild, symptoms.