Vitamin C won’t prevent most colds, but it may do one small thing

Scientific evidence indicates that vitamin C is largely ineffective at preventing the common cold, despite long-standing marketing and claims popularized by Linus Pauling. While some minor benefits exist for specific groups like athletes, the general public sees little impact on cold duration or severity.
Why it matters
This analysis corrects widespread health misconceptions and highlights the importance of evidence-based medicine over celebrity-endorsed health trends.
From the first hint of cold winter mornings, supermarkets and pharmacies begin heavy marketing to coax us to stock up on vitamin C to get through the cold and flu season.
Evidence-based health reporting that debunks popular myths.
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