Scientists from Britain and Australia now say that the Vitamin C supplements, commonly perceived to be a remedy for common cold, have little effectiveness in prevention of cold and are useless at dealing with symptoms.
Scientists now recommend that the vitamin tablets should only be given to marathon runners, skiers and others exposed to extreme cold or stress for short periods. The results, published in Cochrane Library, a respected medical journal, found that Vitamin C is useful only for protecting cells and absorbing iron from food but it cannot cure or prevent colds in adults, no matter how high the dosage is.
"It just doesn't make sense to take vitamin C 365 days a year to lessen the chance of catching a cold," they report said. Scientists studied 11,000 people involved in 30 studies and found there was not single evidence that a person feels better after taking Vitamin C, a popular cold remedy.
The scientists also added that eating oranges - rich source of Vitamin C, are also not helpful in curing cold. Scientists now recommend that the best ways to prevent a cold are to take the herbal medicine Echinacea, drink plenty of fluids and take acetaminophen, to avoid shaking hands. One should also wear a scarf when the weather is cold and you also spend a lot of time in air-conditioning.
