Can supplements prevent a cold?

by KEREN WILLIAMS, Mail on Sunday

Do any supplements or herbal remedies prevent or reduce cold symptoms? Here, we look at the main remedies used in the UK and investigate the evidence that they work.

Vitamin C
- Enthusiasts extol the virtues of this wonder-vitamin. Sadly,

The research doesn't. A Cochrane Review, involving 30 of the best trials,

recently

concluded that large doses of vitamin C do not prevent colds. They

did find that about 1g a day appeared to reduce the duration of cold

symptoms by about 8-9 per cent though. But the small doses contained in

many cold remedies won't help your cold, unless you are malnourished.

Echinacea
- A Cochrane Review of 16 trials did suggest that echinacea

might help to prevent colds and reduce duration of symptoms by a small

amount, but the studies were

small and the jury is still out on which

preparations and doses work best.

Zinc
- Zinc lozenges have become very popular and are supposed to help

prevent colds and reduce symptoms. A recent Cochrane Review of seven good

trials though, failed to find strong evidence that this is so, although the

reviewer did concede that further research is needed.

When should you take antibiotics?

Antibiotics do not cure the common cold, but when the symptoms drag on it's

tempting to try them. In most cases you just have to sit it out, says

Professor Ron Eccles. 'It's perfectly normal for colds to last for two or

three weeks,' he reassures. 'If you keep resorting to antibiotics, you're

likely to suffer from side effects, such as thrush or diarrhoea for longer

than you have cold symptoms,' he warns. Even if you are producing large

amounts of green mucus from your nose, it is highly unlikely that you need antibiotics. 'This is normal. Mucus becomes a yellowish colour when it contains a high number of white blood cells, and turns green when the white blood cells die and release enzymes,' reassures Professor Eccles.

You should see a doctor if:

•Your symptoms have lasted for longer than a couple of weeks and you have

a

high temperature.

•Your cold symptoms have lasted for longer than a month.

•You have difficulty breathing

•You have increasing difficulty swallowing

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