It’s that time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, when a certain non-caped crusader dominates the shelves of pharmacies and the blood streams of countless humans.
We’re talking about vitamin C supplements — a tiny substance with purportedly mighty powers against the common cold and respiratory illness. Except, the scientific evidence is shaky, and has been hotly debated for decades.
For nearly 50 years, this naturally-occurring vitamin has garnered a staggering reputation as a first-line supplement for boosting the immune system. (That’s largely thanks to one brilliant scientist, Linus Pauling) Yet, decades of clinical trials on the benefits of high doses of vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid in its natural form) show mixed and quite limited results in actual effectiveness, particularly for the general population.
The latest research suggests that so-called supercharging your immune system orally with vitamin C poses minimal benefits for the average human battling cold and flu season. Though some populations may benefit from a boost of this vitamin.
