Put your defenses up on a daily basis, not just when you see the first signs of a cold.

It’s flu season and many of us are heading to the store looking for the miracle product to help us avoid getting sick.  Perhaps you, like many others, have succumbed to the trend of taking vitamins when you feel cold symptoms with the hope they will help you recover.  But is there truth to these claims or are they just popular myth?  Let’s look at some of the most popular immune boosting vitamins and see what effect they have on preventing colds.

Vitamin A
Vitamin A helps regulate the immune system and may help lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell which can destroy harmful bacteria and viruses, fight infections more effectively.  As a fat-soluble vitamin, Vitamin A is stored in the liver and other tissues for long periods of time.  This also means it is a slow acting vitamin. Taking a supplement at the onset of symptoms will not allow Vitamin A enough time to boost the immune system.  In this case, a daily supplement is a much better option.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E’s ability to boost immune function stems from its antioxidant properties.  Phagocytes-- white blood cells that can engulf invading microorganisms and destroy them--generate free radicals deliberately to break down pathogens.  Phagocytes destroy these microorganisms by using free radicals and other reactive oxygen species.  This is the reason most scientists believe extra antioxidants such as Vitamin E are needed during sickness.  Like Vitamin A, Vitamin E is fat soluble, so it is stored in the body for long periods of time.  For this same reason, it is important to consume adequate levels of Vitamin E daily, if you wait until you are already sick the effect will be too slow acting to do much good.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C has long been touted as an immune system booster.  There is scientific backing of this claim: Vitamin C is found in high concentrations in leukocytes and is rapidly utilized during infection.  This evidence prompted many people to take very large doses of vitamin C, thinking it would boost their defenses.  While it is clear that Vitamin C supplementation in a deficient individual dramatically boosts the immune system, the scientific studies do not form a consensus on whether or not high doses of Vitamin C in already healthy people have an effect.  Some of the most recent research looked at the white blood cell count in blood samples of those taking Vitamin C supplements and found a significant increase in as little as 5 hours after taking the supplement.  The effect of this boost lasted approximately two weeks after supplementation was stopped.  The amount of Vitamin C was not in “mega doses” for this study however; 1000mg a day was more than enough to elicit the immune cell boost.  Since it is water soluble, Vitamin C is fairly fast acting.  But since the effects of Vitamin C intake can last up to two weeks, taking a daily dosage will make sure your immune system is always at peak performance.  If you wait until you are already feeling symptoms, it is generally too late to prevent a cold.

Zinc
The effect of zinc on the severity or duration of cold symptoms has been studied with mixed results.  Studies have been done that show that zinc lozenges can decrease the duration of colds by as much as one half, while other studies have shown no statistically significant difference in cold durations between patients taking zinc or a placebo.  In either case, there is no evidence that zinc in any way prevents colds, only circumstantial evidence that zinc supplements may reduce the length or symptoms of sickness.

There is no doubt in either the scientific or holistic community that vitamins play an important role in maintaining the immune system, but a claim that vitamins directly prevent colds cannot be substantiated.   If you do not naturally get the vitamins you need from a well-rounded diet of fruits and vegetables, taking a daily supplement is a good way to keep yourself healthy. Vitamin products that imply they can cure or prevent colds, however, are most likely simply advertising gimmicks.  Although we would all love to walk down the cold isle at our drug store and find a miracle cure, it seems the best way to get through flu season is to be careful, wash your hands often and take your vitamins before symptoms occur, not when it’s already too late. 

LINK: Compare ALL ONE Original to Airborne

Garland ML, Hagmeyer KO. The role of zinc lozenges in treatment of the common cold. Ann Pharmacother 1998;32:63-69.

Turner RB and Cetnarowski WE. Effect of treatment with zinc gluconate or zinc acetate on experimental and natural colds. Clin Infect Dis 2000;31:1202-1208.

60th anniversary Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, Denver, March 7-12, 2003. Susan Ritter, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston. Stephen Tilles, MD, Northwest Asthma & Allergy Center, Seattle.

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