Medical experts reveal why supplements like Emergen-C and Airborne don’t actually prevent a cold
If you feel a cold coming on, you can grab a vitamin C packet in the hopes that you can save yourself from runny noses.
But experts say there is little to no evidence that this nutrient protects against getting sick or shortens the duration of your illness.
While a pack of Emergen-C or a tablet of Airborne won’t do you any harm, doctors say you’ll probably pee out more of the vitamin than you can use, and your money might be better spent elsewhere.
Emergen-C and similar brands such as Airborne do not directly claim to fight colds and other viruses. Instead, they say they are immune supportive
According to the USDA, there are about 51 mg of vitamin C in one orange – almost all the FDA recommends per day. Other sources of the nutrient include kiwi, pineapple, broccoli, chili peppers and winter squash
Heather Mangieri, a nutritionist based in Pennsylvania, told Vox: ‘There is a lot of misinformation about vitamin C because it is safe.’
According to Mount Sinai, it is a nutrient that is crucial for cell growth, tissue repair and keeping the skin, tendons and blood vessels healthy. Being deficient in it can cause nosebleeds, skin problems and easy bruising.
But while it is an important part of a balanced diet, it is not a miracle cure.
TikTok health expert, microbiologist Wes, said: “With cold and flu season approaching, I feel it is my social responsibility as a microbiologist to make sure everyone knows that supplements like Emergen-C and Airborne are not at all effective in preventing or treating the common cold.”
The “myth” that vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, can shorten the duration of a cold comes from Linus Pauling – a scientist born in 1901, Wes said.
Dr. Pauling was an influential biochemist and two-time Nobel Prize winner.
In 1960, Dr. Pauling received a letter recommending he take a vitamin C supplement to prolong his life – which he did, reportedly taking as much as 18,000 mg per day – exponentially higher than the FDA’s recommended daily allowance from 75 to 90 mg.
He subsequently published a book encouraging others to consume at least 3,000 mg of vitamin C per day, claiming it could prolong life, cure the common cold and even cure snakebites.
But major scientists now disagree.
For example, the FDA recommends that women get 75 mg of vitamin C per day and men get 90 mg of vitamin C per day – about the amount in one orange. according to Mayo Clinic.
Both Airborne and Emergen-C say their packets contain 1,000 mg of vitamin C, between 11 and 13 times more than the amount you need daily in a healthy diet.
A review from 2013 of Cochrane Library said that the use of ascorbic acid for colds has been a “subject of controversy” for 70 years.
Reviewing 29 studies involving more than 11,000 people, researchers concluded that taking the supplements failed to reduce the likelihood of getting a cold or the length of time a person was sick with them.
Dr. Pauling has won two separate Nobel Prizes: one for chemistry and one for peace. He remained a staunch advocate of the benefits of vitamin C until his death in 1994, at the age of 93.
Dr. Stuart Fischer, an internal medicine doctor in New York City, told DailyMail.com that there are several over-the-counter alternatives — and natural remedies — that can help fight a cold
A review from 2016 from Creighton University found that when someone was seriously ill, having vitamin C could alleviate your symptoms somewhat, but this was not consistent.
Furthermore, Creighton’s doctors wrote that the required amount would best be obtained through food, not supplements.
It’s not dangerous to take more than the recommended dose of vitamin C, but it may not be necessary to stay healthy, says Dr. Richard Lockey, a Florida immunologist. told Forbes.
When you consume more vitamin than you need, your body processes it like the rest of your liquid waste, and it ends up in the toilet.
Dr. Lockey said: ‘Can vitamin C be harmful if you take it? No. It is a water-soluble vitamin, and water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body the way fat-soluble vitamins do.”
So you could just lose money, said Kirstin Vollrath, a dietitian and professor at the University of Houston. Professor Vollrath told Business Insider these products simply turn out to be ‘very expensive pee’.
A pack of 60 Emergen-C packets retails for $22 online and a pack of 30 Airborne tablets sells for $17 online.
Dr. Stuart Fischer, a doctor of internal medicine in New York City, previously told DailyMail.com that there are several over-the-counter (and natural) remedies that can help fight colds, including the age-old recommendation of chicken soup.
When it comes to preventing disease, probiotics are one of the best things you can take, according to Dr. Fischer.
He said: ‘My own specific way to prevent colds is probiotics. I don’t think anyone can have too many probiotics. I take 25 billion units of probiotics every morning.
‘And this to me is what people mean when they say they have a good immune system. It’s not something inherent to their chemistry, but it’s live good bacteria overwhelming the bad negative bacteria.”
Ultimately, Dr. Fischer that people who catch a cold should rest and take fluids with electrolytes to replace the fluid they lose through sweating, which can happen when someone has a fever.