IN BRIEF (Page 19)

Most Vit C goes down the drain

Vitamin C does not protect against colds, according to Germany's Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).

IQWiG notes that some dietary supplements contained more than a gram of vitamin C, or 10 times more than the recommended daily dose. Since the body cannot absorb such a large amount, most of the vitamin is excreted in the urine a few hours later.