Will Taking Vitamin C Get Rid of my Cold

Raena Morgan: Hello, I’m visiting with Dr. Benjamin Weeks who is a Professor of Biology at Adelphi University. We’ve been talking about vitamin C. A very simple, basic question, can taking vitamin C help me get over a cold faster? Dr. Benjamin Weeks: I don’t think so. Raena Morgan: No? Dr. Benjamin Weeks: Probably not. Raena Morgan: That’s a common belief. Dr. Benjamin Weeks: It is a common belief. Certainly if you already have the cold if you take vitamin C—I don’t think there are any strong studies which would show that you are going to overcome that cold quicker. However… Raena Morgan: I’m disappointed. Dr. Benjamin Weeks: However, certainly if you are deficient in vitamin C—because vitamin C bolsters and strengthens the immune system, on a daily basis, it helps the cells of the immune system respond to infections, respond to foreign agents that come into your body. If you have a healthier immune system and you have a healthy level, an appropriate level of vitamin C in your body, you’re going to be less likely to get a cold in the first place. Raena Morgan: So, it’s more to prevent getting a cold than to get over getting a cold? Dr. Benjamin Weeks: Yes, and at the risk of sounding [like] oversimplifying it, you need vitamin C to be healthy. And, if you’re not healthy you’re at greater risk to infection because not having enough vitamin C will stress your immune system, and your immune system will not be in a position to respond as rapidly or as efficiently to infections [and] viruses like the common cold. So, I would say don’t wait ‘til you have a cold to take vitamin C. Get your vitamin C and stay healthy; you’re less likely to get a cold. Raena Morgan: Well, that’s good information. Are there any other ways that vitamin C is important to your immune system? Dr. Benjamin Weeks: Yes. In addition to maintaining a strong immune system, one aspect of the immune system that can actually—which is important and does have a healthy role but can cause damage is inflammation. Your immune system is involved in infiltrating the tissues of your body in order to protect those tissues, and that’s good and that’s normal and it’s healthy. However, sometimes your immune system gets a little too excited and you get a little too much inflammation. And, in fact, this kind of inflammation can affect the cardiovascular disease I was talking about earlier. And, vitamin C actually reduces the over-inflammation, the over- excitation of the immune system and the inflammatory damage associated with over-activation of the immune system. So, vitamin C works as an anti-inflammatory; it has anti-inflammatory activities. And, this can be very important as far as keeping your immune system in a healthy balance with your body. Raena Morgan: A healthy balance? Dr. Benjamin Weeks: Yes. Raena Morgan: All right, thank you Dr. Weeks. Dr. Benjamin Weeks: You’re welcome.