Vitamin C, or L-ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble essential vitamin. It is a very popular dietary supplement due to its antioxidant properties, safety, and low price.
Vitamin C is often supplemented to reduce the symptoms of the common cold.
Supplemental vitamin C is able to reduce the duration of a cold by 8-14% in any population, when it is taken as a daily preventative measure, or at the beginning of a cold.
Vitamin C sequesters free radicals in the body. It is replenished by antioxidant enzymes, and is often used as a reference drug in antioxidant research. Vitamin C’s structure allows it to act on neurology and depression, as well as interact with the pancreas and modulate cortisol. Its antioxidant properties mean vitamin C provides neuroprotective effects and benefits for blood flow. By protecting the testes from oxidative stress, vitamin C can also preserve testosterone levels.
Most studies on vitamin C prescribe one dose per day. The claim that taking 2,000mg up to five times a day to optimally reduce cold symptoms is not sufficiently tested and requires more evidence.
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