The effects of ascorbic acid and flavonoids on the occurrence of symptoms normally associated with the common cold.
A controlled study was made of the effects of natural orange juice, synthetic orange juice, and placebo in the prevention of the common cold; both natural and synthetic orange juices contained 80 mg of ascorbic acid daily. Three-hundred sixty-two healthy normal young adult volunteers, ages 17 to 25 years, were studied for 72 days with 97% of participants completing the trial. There was a 14 to 21% reduction in total symptoms due to the common cold in the supplemented groups that was statistically significant (P less than 0.05). Ascorbic acid supplementation also increased the number of "episode-free" subjects. However, the clinical usefulness of the results does not support prophylactic ascorbic acid supplements in the well-nourished adult. The results in this study with both natural and synthetic orange juice of physiological content of ascorbic acid, are similar to those obtained using a "megadose" of ascorbic acid.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003139:Common Cold / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors
D005419:Flavonoids; D001205:Ascorbic Acid