Oh, no, not again.
If yet another cold gives you that “I’ve been here too many times” feeling, it’s for a good reason. The average adult catches a cold two to four times a year, which feels like two to four times too many. At least you’re not visited by the cold bug as often as you were as a child. The average child catches 6 to 10 colds a year. Isn’t there anything you can do to keep colds from coming on so relentlessly?
Well, yes. For one thing, you can wash your hands more often. (Bet you expected something about vitamin C here!) That’s one of the best ways to prevent colds. You’re more likely to catch a cold from touching a doorknob in a public place and scratching your nose right afterwards than you are from inhaling someone’s sneeze.
Aside from the hand-washing caution, there are several dietary and nutritional strategies to pay attention to. And, yes, vitamin C sits right at the top of the list. But first, let’s look at what you’re up against.
At least 250 different viruses cause the common cold. And they’re all over the place. Then, there are the numerous nefarious viruses that cause influenza (flu).
These days, everyone who gets a cough or the sniffles says they have the flu, but there is a difference, says Robert Ivker, DO, clinical instructor in the department of otolaryngology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. Dr. Ivker is also past president of the American Holistic Medical Association and the author of Sinus Survival: The Holistic Medical Treatment for Allergies, Colds, and Sinusitis.
The typical cold lasts about a week, says Dr. Ivker, and includes sore throat, stuffy nose, runny nose, coughing, and mild fever. If you have the flu, these same symptoms are more severe, and you may also have chills, high fever, fatigue, and achiness.
Also note: If you ate seafood last night, and this morning you’re bent over the toilet vomiting, you do not have “stomach flu.” You have food poisoning. Just for the record, there is no such thing as stomach flu.
As mentioned earlier, the average person gets two to four colds a year, and those colds tend to last about a week. But who says you need to be average?
With the right dietary strategies, it’s possible both to prevent most bouts of colds and flu and to shorten their duration if you do succumb despite your best efforts, says Dr. Ivker. “The objective here is to maintain a strong immune system, so you don’t get sick in the first place,” he says, and that means eating whole grains, protein from fish and free-range poultry, and lots of organic fruits and vegetables. It’s also helpful to avoid dairy products, which contribute to excess mucus production.
In theory, we should be able to get all of the nutrients we need to keep our immune systems strong from our diets, says Dr. Ivker, but in reality we don’t. While we’re all supposed to eat five to seven servings a day of fruits and vegetables, most Americans, even the ones who know they should, simply don’t comply.
“Supplements are the best solution that I’ve found,” says Dr. Ivker. So to begin with, he says, take a good multivitamin. Then there are several additional supplements that can help prevent colds and flu. Plus, a few in higher doses can help knock out a cold or flu much faster, he says. Instead of being sick for a week, you might find yourself with minimal symptoms for just a couple of days.
The nutrient allicin is the active component of garlic and has strong antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal action, notes Dr. Ivker. Allimax, a relatively new supplement made in England, is 100 percent allicin and is really effective if taken at the first sign of a cold or flu, he says. For most people, that first sign is a sore throat, but you may experience the start of a cold differently.
As soon as you feel a cold or flu coming on, reach for that bottle of Allimax, says Dr. Ivker, and take four capsules three times a day. “It’s expensive, but it’s worth it,” he says.
The nutrient astaxanthin is a carotenoid pigment closely related to beta-carotene, a potent antioxidant, and also helps prevent colds and flu, says Dr. Ivker. He suggests taking 4 milligrams daily as a preventive.
You need to get a full complement of B vitamins to keep colds and flu at bay. You’ll get the vitamins you need if you make sure your multivitamin supplies 100 milligrams of each of the major B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and vitamin B6), says Dr. Ivker. Or else take a B-complex supplement.
Four minerals—magnesium, calcium, selenium, and zinc—are a good regime for optimum health, says Dr. Ivker. “The objective here is to maintain a strong immune system, so you don’t get sick in the first place,” he says.
Dr. Ivker suggests taking 1,000 milligrams of either calcium citrate or calcium hydroxylapatite daily.
A small amount of the essential nutrient chromium is helpful as a cold preventive, says Dr. Ivker. He suggests taking 200 micrograms of chromium picolinate every day.
The mineral magnesium helps support your immune system, says Dr. Ivker. He suggests taking 400 to 600 milligrams daily in the form of magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate, or magnesium aspartate.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an antioxidant that is especially helpful for treating flu, notes Dr. Ivker. It thins mucus and helps you get rid of it. Dr. Ivker suggests taking 500 milligrams three or four times a day.
The mineral selenium is an antioxidant that serves both as a preventive and treatment for colds and flu. Take just 200 micrograms either as a preventive or as a treatment, says Dr. Ivker. Do not exceed this amount as selenium can be toxic at higher doses.
At high doses, vitamin A has antiviral properties, says Dr. Ivker. At the first sign of a cold, take 50,000 IU three times a day, he advises. Warning: Do this for 3 days only. Vitamin A builds up in the body, and high doses can become toxic, Dr. Ivker explains. (Note, this is for colds and flu only, not for sinusitis.)
Of all the possible nutrient preventives and treatments for the common cold, vitamin C is probably the best known and most contested. Ever since Linus Pauling published his best-selling Vitamin C and the Common Cold back in 1970, vitamin C has had its unquestioning loyalists as well as those who have tried to debunk the treatment.
In 2004, researchers at the Cochrane group in Copenhagen reviewed dozens of studies on the potential of vitamin C to prevent and treat colds. They found that the nutrient worked at preventing colds only for athletic types—soldiers, skiers, runners. They did find, however, that for those who already had colds, the duration of the cold was shortened slightly and symptoms significantly improved.
Then in 2006, Japanese researchers who had conducted a 5-year study on the role of vitamin C in gastric cancer turned their attention to the common cold. At the end of the study, the researchers realized that they had all the data they needed to also evaluate the role of vitamin C in preventing colds, as they had been giving either a high dose (500 milligrams) or a low dose (50 milligrams) of vitamin C to the 429 participants for the duration of the study, and also noting when each participant came down with a cold.
When they analyzed the data, the researchers found a significant reduction in risk—some 66 percent—for those taking the high-dose supplement. Linus Pauling would undoubtedly have been pleased.
“Vitamin C is at the top of my list,” says Dr. Ivker. “It’s highly effective in preventing and treating colds.” It is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory, plus it strengthens the immune system. At high doses, he says, vitamin C also has an antiviral effect.
What about the mixed results of studies on this vitamin? Some show that it works, while others show that it does not. Dr. Ivker says he’s been using vitamin C with great effect for decades, both in himself and in numerous patients. He has no doubt that it works and recommends it without reservation. One of the keys, he says, is to take it in high-enough doses for it to be effective.
As a preventive, take 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams three times a day, directs Dr. Ivker. Then at the first sign of a cold, increase the dose to 3,000 to 5,000 milligrams three or four times a day. Alternatively, he says, you can take 2,000 milligrams every 2 hours, with food.
Do not use straight ascorbic acid, as this is hard on the gastrointestinal tract, says Dr. Ivker. Instead, take either ester-C or the mineral ascorbate form of the vitamin. These high doses may cause diarrhea in some people. If this happens, he suggests backing off on the dose until the problem disappears. As you experiment, you’ll get a sense of how much you can comfortably tolerate.
Several studies have supported the use of zinc to treat the common cold. In 2006, Swiss researchers published a review that looked at a number of studies on the role of both vitamin C and zinc in supporting the immune system and treating a number of infectious diseases. The studies they reviewed involved doses of vitamin C up to 1 gram daily and doses of zinc up to 30 milligrams. “These studies,” the researchers noted, “document that adequate intakes of vitamin C and zinc ameliorate symptoms and shorten the duration of respiratory infections, including the common cold.”
The essential mineral zinc is useful both to prevent and to treat colds, says Dr. Ivker. As a preventive, take 20 to 40 milligrams daily in the form of zinc picolinate, he advises. Once you have a cold, you can take 13 milligrams every 2 hours in the form of zinc gluconate lozenges, he says.
If you opt for zinc as a cold treatment, however, make sure you stick with lozenges and avoid using nasal sprays or gels. While many people use zinc sprays and gels without problems, there have been a number of case reports of individuals permanently losing their sense of smell after using these products. Why take the risk?
Sinus Survival: The Holistic Medical Treatment for Allergies, Colds, and Sinusitis by Robert S. Ivker, DO
Take a multivitamin to ensure that you are getting any nutrient that may be shortchanged in your diet.
To Prevent Colds and Flu
Astaxanthin |
4 milligrams |
B vitamins |
Your multivitamin should supply 100 milligrams of each of the major B vitamins. |
Calcium |
1,000 milligrams as either calcium citrate or calcium hydroxylapatite |
Chromium |
200 micrograms in the form of chromium picolinate |
Magnesium |
400 to 600 milligrams as magnesium aspartate, magnesium citrate, or magnesium glycinate |
Selenium |
200 micrograms |
Vitamin C* |
1,000 to 2,000 milligrams three times a day |
Zinc |
20 to 40 milligrams of zinc picolinate |
To Treat Colds and Flu†
Allicin (Allimax) |
Four capsules, three times a day |
N-acetylcysteine |
500 milligrams, three or four times a day |
Selenium |
200 micrograms |
Vitamin A‡ |
50,000 IU, three times a day, for 3 days only |
Vitamin C* |
3,000 to 5,000 milligrams three or four times a day; or 2,000 milligrams every 2 hours, with food |
Zinc |
13 milligrams every 2 hours as zinc gluconate lozenges |
*This is a high dose of vitamin C. If you experience diarrhea, back off on the amount.
†The treatment dose is meant to be taken instead of the preventive dose, not in addition.
‡This is an extremely high dose of vitamin A. Do not take this amount for more than 3 days running.