Health
Most Vit C goes down the drain
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-11-18 11:12
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.
IQWiG cites a review of placebo-controlled trials by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international healthcare information organization with its headquarters in Britain. The trials involved a total of more than 11,000 participants who ingested at least 0.2 g of vitamin C per day.
Participants who began taking the high doses of vitamin C after catching a cold noticed no difference in the duration or severity of their illness.
The IQWiG warned that large amounts of vitamin C could cause diarrhea, a potential problem especially for children and the elderly.
