Many people believe that vitamin C supplementation can help prevent or mitigate flu. However, scientific studies have come to conclusions about the true effectiveness of this micronutrients.
A study published on The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that vitamin C has the effect of supporting the immune system, helping the body against infections, including influenza.
Some evidence shows that regular vitamin C supplementation may reduce the risk of disease in certain groups of objects, especially those who participate in high -intensity physical activity. However, this does not mean that vitamin C can help prevent the flu comprehensively for everyone.
According to Dr. Harri Hemilä from the University of Helsinki, the supplementation of vitamin C does not help prevent colds or flu in the common population.
However, he pointed out that vitamin C may shorten the time and reduce the severity of the flu symptoms by about 15%, especially when used in high doses (over 1 gram per day).
This shows that vitamin C may be beneficial for those who are constantly exposed to extreme weather conditions or physical stress, such as athletes or soldiers.
Not only that, vitamin C can help mitigate the flu symptoms if supplemented before. According to Verywell Health, vitamin C combined with zinc can reduce the time of disease and severity of symptoms, but it has no complete preventive effect.
Therefore, instead of depending on functional foods, maintaining a diet rich in vitamin C from natural foods such as oranges, lemons, guava or broccoli is still more encouraged.
Dr. Jenna Macciochi, an immune lecturer at Sussex University, emphasized that each person has a different immune system, depending on genetic and lifestyle factors. She also pointed out that there is no food or supplement that can replace basic preventive measures such as healthy eating, getting enough sleep and maintaining personal hygiene.
Overall, although vitamin C plays an important role in supporting the immune system and can help mitigate the flu symptoms, it is not an absolute preventive measure.
To protect the body from the flu effectively, it is necessary to combine balanced nutrition, exercise regularly, get enough sleep and implement personal hygiene measures.
