We are told all the time that vitamin C helps to resist a cold. Scientists from the University of Helsinki clarify: only if you exercise regularly. In this case, the risk of developing a cold is halved. But people taking this vitamin, but leading an inactive lifestyle, are not protected from cold.
Employees of the university conducted a study with the participation of 11 thousand people, whose goal was to study the role of vitamin C in health promotion. Participants included marathon runners, schoolchildren, including swimmers, and Canadian soldiers. They all had to take vitamin C daily.
The results were as follows: in people practicing a short exercise, the risk of cold decreased by 50%. Athletes responded very well to vitamin A. For example, swimmers twice as quickly able to cope with an already developed respiratory viral infection.
For children, daily doses of vitamin C, even in the amount of just 1 gram, have been very effective in alleviating the symptoms of the common cold and reducing its duration. If among adults, the duration of the common cold decreased by 8%, then among children, this figure was 18%. For every adult, on average, there are 2-3 cold diseases per year, while children suffer up to 6 times.
But experts warn about the side effects of supplements with vitamin C. One study found that such supplements can trigger the formation of kidney stones.
