Vitamin C and the Common Cold

Introduction The controversy over vitamin C and orthomolecular medicine began with the publication of Linus Pauling's book, Vitamin C and the Common Cold. Since that time, a proportion ofthe population have been experimenting with high dose vitamin C, reflecting a belief in its efficacy as a treatment or preventative for this minor illness. However, some elements of conventional medicine continue to assume that vitamin C is ineffective. Here, we show that the available scientific evidence supports the use of this simple substance. In their recently updated Cochrane review, "Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold",' Douglas, Hemilä, Chalker, and Treacy (2007) state their objectives as being to discover whether oral doses of 0.2 g or more daily of vitamin C reduce the incidence, duration, or severity of the common cold, when used either as continuous prophylaxis or after the onset of symptoms. This statement is their "straw man". They conclude: "The failure of vitamin C supplementation to reduce the incidence of colds in the normal population indicates that routine mega-dose prophylaxis is not rationally justified for community use."