The use of vitamin C for colds has been the subject of over 30 clinical trials with over 10,000 participants, yet a definitive answer on the topic has yet to be determined. Getting adequate amounts is important to overall health, but most people don't experience shorter or less-severe colds when taking extra vitamin C.
Benefits
Even if it may or may not help your cold, vitamin C is still important for other reasons. Eating fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C may reduce your risk of certain cancers, and the vitamin is sometimes used in cancer treatment. Having vitamin C in your system also improves your body's ability to absorb the essential mineral iron. Vitamin C deficiency is rare in healthy people, but if it occurs, it can lead to the medical condition scurvy.
Research
Whether vitamin C will actually help treat or prevent colds remains a controversial topic. Overall results of current research indicate that vitamin C does not reduce your risk of developing a cold, nor does it reduce your symptoms if you develop a cold while taking it; however, about 10 percent of adults and 15 percent of children have gotten over their colds more quickly while taking vitamin C. Some endurance athletes and military personnel in extreme weather conditions have higher rates of cold prevention, a data point that requires further study.
Dosage
Taking excessive amounts of vitamin C when you have a cold likely won't do you much good. Because vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, amounts over what your body can reasonably absorb are lost through urination or nonabsorption. The maximum recommended dosage is 500 mg per day. You don't necessarily need to take supplements; if your diet is balanced and rich in fruits and vegetables, you probably get adequate amounts of vitamin C already. People with kidney disease should not take vitamin C supplements.
Alternatives
Consider taking zinc instead of vitamin C to reduce the length of a cold. A February 2011 review of 13 clinical trials found that subjects who took zinc had less-severe cold symptoms and were 55 percent less likely to still be sick after a week. School-age children who took zinc for at least five months also got sick and missed school less often than those who didn't. High doses of zinc can be harmful, so always follow the dosing recommendations of any zinc supplement.
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