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VERIFY: Does Vitamin C cure the common cold?

VERIFY QUESTION

VERIFY QUESTION

It's cold season...in more ways than one. Mother Nature is catching a cold, and you might be catching one, too. Yes -- it's the season for coughing, sneezing and runny noses. So, Good Morning Show producer Emily Hogdon asked us to VERIFY -- does Vitamin C cure the common cold?

VERIFY SOURCE

To VERIFY, we reached out to Novant Health's Friedberg Family Medicine Department and talked to Dr. Lon Morgan, a family practitioner.

VERIFY PROCESS

Vitamin C is water soluble, meaning high levels don't build up in the body and become toxic. But, too much of it can cause kidney stones or abdominal bloating.

Fruits and vegetables are the best source for Vitamin C, and you can find it in citrus fruits, tomatoes, tomato juice, orange juice and potatoes, among other foods.

Dr. Morgan explained the answer to whether Vitamin C can cure the common cold isn't black or white (or should we say apples or oranges). Vitamin C cannot prevent the common cold, because only a vaccine can do that.

Vitamin C does support your immune system and allows the body to deal with the virus more efficiently. So, it can reduce the severity of the cold and the duration of symptoms.

How much should you take? Dr. Morgan recommends about 60 milligrams a day, and other nutrition guides will tell you between 65 and 90 milligrams per day are fine. For perspective, an orange has about 50 milligrams.

In addition to taking Vitamin C to fight your cold, stay hydrated, get plenty of sleep and take something like a Tylenol to help relieve discomfort.

VERIFY CONCLUSION

Vitamin C can't prevent the common cold, but it can, indeed, help cure it.

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