Fact or Fiction: What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the common cold? Maybe it’s a lemon or an orange. Our brains have memorized that vitamin C is good for preventing and treating colds.
Have a runny nose? Headache? Stomach ache? Or perhaps an itchy throat? There’s nothing that a little lemon juice can’t fix. That’s most people’s reason. People increase their consumption of lemons and oranges during winter or when they have a cold because these fruits are rich in vitamin C.
Vitamin C has been shown to improve mood, boost immunity and promote skin and bone health. But recently the use of vitamin C to prevent and treat colds has been on the rise. Find out if it’s fact or fiction.
What is Vitamin C?
Vitamin C is also known as L-ascorbic acid. It is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for the health of the body. Vitamin C is easily eliminated from the body through water, so daily vitamin C supplementation is a must for everyone. Vitamin C is also a common nutrient whose daily requirements can be met with a balanced diet alone. It was discovered in 1932, but even before that, citrus fruits, the largest source of vitamin C, were used to treat diseases such as scurvy.
Food sources of Vitamin C
- Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, kiwis)
- Chilli
- Tomato
- Green vegetables
- Strawberry
Functions of Vitamin C
- Vitamin C is essential for the normal functioning of the body. It plays many important roles. Some of them are listed below:
- Protects cells and keeps them healthy
- Iron absorption
- Maintains healthy skin, blood vessels, bones, tendons and cartilage
- Helps heal wounds
Vitamin C deficiency
Although vitamin C deficiency is now rare, it is still common in malnourished adults. Signs of vitamin C deficiency include:
- Scurvy
- Anemia
- Frequent bruising
- Improper treatment
- Bleeding gums
Causes and symptoms of the common cold
The common cold is mainly caused by the rhinovirus. There are about 160 types of rhinoviruses and overall there are at least 200 known cold-causing viruses. These are constantly evolving and changing; That’s why you often get colds. Your immune system adapts to the virus, but next time, a new variant will attack. Similarly, scientists are also having difficulty developing a vaccine to prevent the common cold.
Cold symptoms:
- Runny nose and watery eyes
- Sneezing and coughing
- Sore throat
- Fever
- chills
- Headache
Flu, autoimmune diseases, allergies, and COVID-19 also have symptoms similar to the common cold. Therefore, we recommend that you do not self-diagnose unless you are a certified medical professional yourself.
What is the connection between Vitamin C and the common cold?
The link between vitamin C and the common cold was first identified in the 1970s by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Linus Pauling. He conducted many experiments on the benefits of high doses of vitamin C.
Pauling believes that high doses of vitamin C can also prevent many other diseases besides colds. However, Pauling’s research did not yield convincing results. Pauling wrote several books and scientific articles about the miraculous effects of vitamin C. Many of his claims have been proven false in the years since or remain unverified.
Several other studies on vitamin C and its relationship to the common cold have also been conducted in modern times. In some trials, vitamin C supplementation reduced the duration of the common cold in some subjects. But no studies have shown conclusively that vitamin C prevents or treats colds in people.
Just as the duration, symptoms, and severity of colds vary from person to person, the effects of vitamin C also vary. Vitamin C may reduce the duration of colds in some people. It may also reduce symptoms, aid recovery, and help prevent colds in the long term for some people. But again, nothing has been scientifically proven, so it’s impossible to say that vitamin C is beneficial for everyone.
In short
Although there have been studies demonstrating the effectiveness of vitamin C in fighting the common cold, the notion that vitamin C is a miracle cure for preventing or treating the common cold is a myth. But there is no harm in slightly increasing your daily intake of vitamin C as it helps boost immunity and overall health, which in the long run will prevent many diseases.
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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: pagasa.edu.vn