[net.cooks] vitamin C

mmm@weitek.UUCP (Mark Thorson) (12/01/85)

In article <1500@decwrl.UUCP>, kolling@decwrl.UUCP (Karen Kolling) writes:
> 
> 
> > 	2. It doesn't reduce the NUMBER of colds, just how long each one lasts,
> > which works out to about 1-2 days.  Note this is only true if you take the
> > Vitamin C in advance, not upon onset of symptoms.
> 
> I haven't found the latter to be true -- if I take megadoses of Vitamin C
> (a gram every hour for 5-6 hours) AFTER I start to feel a cold coming on,
> I can clobber the cold. I suspect they may have just tested the 1 gram a day
> dose, which isn't sufficient once a cold has started.

I have found that a single 1000 mg tablet before bed on the first day I
feel a scratchy throat prevents the cold.  If I miss the chance, a cold
inevitably develops.  I always let the pill dissolve a little before
swallowing or chew it up; maybe the people in the study didn't do that.

Mark Thorson   (...!cae780!weitek!mmm)

barb@oliven.UUCP (Barbara Jernigan) (12/13/85)

> ...if I take megadoses of Vitamin C
> (a gram every hour for 5-6 hours) AFTER I start to feel a cold coming on,
> I can clobber the cold. 

It is possible that *YOU* clobber the cold, not the Vitamin C.  Placebos
*do* work.  But then, I write from a contrary prejudice -- I am allergic
to concentrated Vitamin C (I can drink orange juice -- but not in mega 
amounts).

Barb