<p>We’ve often been told to get loads of vitamin C, whether it’s through lime water, citrusy fruits or supplements with vitamin C to beat a nasty cold. The vitamin is not produced in the body so, typically, it is recommended as a supplement or as part of the diet, in the form of vegetables and fruits. </p>.<p>Vitamin C plays an important role in the creation of collagen, which is a protein that helps maintain your skin and also aids in healing wounds. The vitamin also plays a part in ensuring efficient iron absorption, and is known to be an effective antioxidant. The benefits of the vitamin aside, there is no conclusive research that says that supplementation of vitamin C when you have a cold or a flu cures the illness fully.</p>.<p>However, some research says that consumption of the vitamin may help in lowering the severity of your common cold symptoms but only slightly. </p>.<p>A meta analysis conducted by a non-profit network of international researchers shows that the time taken to recover from a cold reduced by less than 10 per cent in people who took vitamin C every day (of 0.2 gram dosage) and symptoms of a cold were slightly milder among such people. The network of researchers looked at marathoners and soldiers, essentially people who were exposed to short spells of high physical activity in extremely cold conditions, and concluded that taking vitamin C two to three weeks before their activity, reduced their risk of developing a cold by nearly half. Vitamin C helps manage symptoms of a cold to a small extent but for that you would need to take it consistently, and for extended periods of time much before you actually have a cold.</p>.<p>If you already have a bad cold and you take vitamin C, it can only soothe you momentarily but doesn’t necessarily cure your cold. </p>.<p><em>(Mythbuster picks up a popular wellness belief and examines if it is true, false, or maybe lies somewhere in between.)</em></p>
<p>We’ve often been told to get loads of vitamin C, whether it’s through lime water, citrusy fruits or supplements with vitamin C to beat a nasty cold. The vitamin is not produced in the body so, typically, it is recommended as a supplement or as part of the diet, in the form of vegetables and fruits. </p>.<p>Vitamin C plays an important role in the creation of collagen, which is a protein that helps maintain your skin and also aids in healing wounds. The vitamin also plays a part in ensuring efficient iron absorption, and is known to be an effective antioxidant. The benefits of the vitamin aside, there is no conclusive research that says that supplementation of vitamin C when you have a cold or a flu cures the illness fully.</p>.<p>However, some research says that consumption of the vitamin may help in lowering the severity of your common cold symptoms but only slightly. </p>.<p>A meta analysis conducted by a non-profit network of international researchers shows that the time taken to recover from a cold reduced by less than 10 per cent in people who took vitamin C every day (of 0.2 gram dosage) and symptoms of a cold were slightly milder among such people. The network of researchers looked at marathoners and soldiers, essentially people who were exposed to short spells of high physical activity in extremely cold conditions, and concluded that taking vitamin C two to three weeks before their activity, reduced their risk of developing a cold by nearly half. Vitamin C helps manage symptoms of a cold to a small extent but for that you would need to take it consistently, and for extended periods of time much before you actually have a cold.</p>.<p>If you already have a bad cold and you take vitamin C, it can only soothe you momentarily but doesn’t necessarily cure your cold. </p>.<p><em>(Mythbuster picks up a popular wellness belief and examines if it is true, false, or maybe lies somewhere in between.)</em></p>
