Med-O-Meter

2

MedHead Message:

This Cochrane review says basically that vitamin C may reduce upper respiratory infection (aka the common cold) duration by about 10% when using 1-2 grams daily. That’s not a lot; however, in my practice, I usually prescribe much higher doses of vitamin C, usually 6-8 grams daily for adults and 3 grams daily for children. I wonder if this analysis used too low of doses for their conclusions.

References:

1. Hemilä H, Chalker E. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD000980. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4.