first were the dangers of excessive doses in some multivitamins, later studies denying antioxidant properties of vitamin d, and finally more than 55 studies which would halt the alleged benefits compared to the ‘ common cold ’
is it possible that vitamin C does not serve even to prevent the cold?
history: from ‘ anti-escorbútico factor ’ to universal panacea
thanks to surgeon John Woodall (1617) met the medicine the ‘ anti-escorbútico factor ’ that he kept the lemon and as soon as they extended his fame that already in the 18th century the Royal Navy became treatment required the use of oranges and lemons in cases of scurvy (a disease caused by lack of vitamin C).
Is already in the 20th century when Casimir Funk (1912) identified this factor anti-escorb̼tico as vitamin C, although they take more than 20 years to isolate and eventually to synthesize. Achieving something we owe to Tadeus Reichestein and Walter Norman Haworth (1934), who succeeded perhaps what made that vitamin C is a product of massive sale: a process of synthesis cheap, quick and simple. Now that same year the Hoffman РLa Roche pharmaceutical company released the first compressed under the name Redoxon, has sold up to our days.
But no doubt if this vitamin jumped to stardom was the prize Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling, who came to recommend to have a long and healthy life ingest on a daily basis between 6,000 and 12,000 milligrams, when today the World Health Organization recommend not exceed 45 mg/day.
65, 55 Studios, 232.060 patients and no effect:
The Cochrane Library journal conducted a meta-analysis (a study of various studies) which used dose of 200 mg of vitamin C (or higher) and a placebo-control (i.e. equal pills but without the active ingredient) gave to more than 232.060 patients.
The most striking outcome of these studies was probably that 23 communities studied did not find any measurable clinical effect in the prevention of the common cold. Despite this conclusion, it seems that there are 6 small studies that demonstrates a slight anaphylactic effect (i.e., to avoid getting cold) in the sports of high competition and low temperatures. Probably were these five studies in which Pauling was based to recommend such doses of vitamin C, because vitamin C intake decreased by 14% day symptomatic.
Despite these six studies, the other 49 showed that vitamin C does not have any clinically demonstrable effect or significant in the prevention, reduction of symptomatic days or the common cold symptoms.
Tags: Cold, vitamin C, vitamins
