title: Ascorbic acid for the common cold. A prophylactic and therapeutic trial.
abstract: Three hundred eleven employees of the National Institutes of Health volunteered to take 1 gm of ascorbic acid or lactose placebo in capsules three times a day for nine months. At the onset of a cold, the volunteers were given an additional 3 gm daily of either a placebo or ascorbic acid. One hundred ninety volunteers completed the study. Dropouts were defined as those who missed at least one month of drug ingestion. They represented 44% of the placebo group and 34% of those taking ascorbic acid. Analysis of these data showed that ascorbic acid had at best only a minor influence on the duration and severity of colds, and that the effects demonstrated might be explained equally well by a break in the double blind.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001346:Autosuggestion; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003139:Common Cold / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010919:Placebos; D012229:Rhinovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012621:Seasons; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos; D001205:Ascorbic Acid