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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Vitamin C won't keep colds away — but it might shorten the worst of them. Decades of research debunk Nobel laureate Linus Pauling's famous claim that mega-doses prevent colds in the general population. Regularly taking vitamin C may trim severe symptom duration by about 10%, but only if you start before getting sick — and high doses come with real health risks.
The idea that loading up on vitamin C wards off colds traces back to a 1970 book by Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling, who recommended 1,000–2,000mg daily — far above standard dietary guidelines. His claims sparked a supplement boom that persists today, but decades of research tell a more nuanced story.
Multiple meta-analyses show vitamin C does not reduce the risk of catching a cold in the general population. It may modestly reduce the severity of symptoms — by roughly 8–15% — but only when taken regularly before illness strikes, not at the first sign of a sniffle. The practical payoff? If severe symptoms typically last five days, vitamin C might shave off about 12 hours.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: With pharmacies heavily marketing high-dose vitamin C every cold season, clinicians and patients alike benefit from understanding what the evidence actually supports — and where the hype ends.
