Vitamins, Minerals, and Colds
A cold is a viral infection that affects the upper airway
including the nose, pharynx, throat, and lung airways.
What is the information for this topic?
Cold viruses are passed easily from one person to another. The best way for a
person to avoid picking up cold germs is to wash his or her hands often and to
keep hands away from the nose, eyes, and mouth. There is some evidence that
both
vitamin C and zinc can be effective for preventing or treating
colds.
To stay healthy, the body needs vitamin C. Since this vitamin is water soluble, meaning it is not stored in the
body, a person needs to eat foods rich in vitamin C daily or take a daily
supplement. Research on the effectiveness of large doses of vitamin C for the
treatment of the common cold has produced conflicting results. Most findings
show that vitamin C has only a small effect on preventing a cold. But they do
suggest that vitamin C given at the onset of a cold can reduce how long it
lasts.
The best sources of vitamin C are
citrus fruits
strawberries
green and red peppers
tomatoes
potatoes
collard greens
broccoli
spinach
The recommended daily allowances,
or
RDAs, for vitamin C were recently
increased. Levels were increased to provide maximum health benefits. Levels
were raised to 75 mg per day for women and 90 mg per day for
men. Smokers are advised to take an extra 35 mg daily. This is because smoking depletes the body of some
vitamin C.
Pregnant women and women who are breast-feeding need slightly more, too.
Large doses of vitamin C can cause
stomach upset, diarrhea, or kidney stones. The upper level for vitamin
C is 2,000 mg per day for adults. People should not routinely go
above the set upper levels for vitamins and minerals. An upper level is not the
recommended amount to take. It is the maximum amount of a vitamin or mineral
that is likely to cause no health risks.
The body needs zinc for more than
200
enzyme activities. There are 2 possible ways this mineral helps prevent and
treat the common cold:
It stops the growth of the cold virus. Certain viruses do not survive in a
zinc-rich environment. This is the rationale behind zinc lozenges.
It simulates the immune system. People whose diets lack zinc and people
with
low blood levels of zinc are more likely to catch a cold or another type of
infection.
Best sources of zinc are
meat
mushrooms
oysters
eggs
brewer's yeast
The recommended daily allowance,
or RDA,
for zinc is 15 mg for males, aged 11 and older, and 12 mg for females, aged 11 and
older. Pregnant women should get 15
mg.
Women who are breast-feeding
should
get 19 mg the first six months and 16 mg the second six months.
Too much zinc might be as counterproductive to health as too little zinc. Doses
of zinc above 100 mg may depress immunity. Zinc in excess of 150mg to 200 mg a
day might interfere with copper absorption and could result in a secondary deficiency
of this trace mineral. Zinc may also cause stomach upset.
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