Do supplements like Emergen-C and Airborne really help prevent or beat the common cold? One microbiologist says not.
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TikTok user Wes (@microbiologywes) is a microbiologist who posted this PSA on September 21st.
“As cold and flu season approaches, it is my duty as a microbiologist and citizen to make sure everyone knows that supplements like Emergen C and Airborn are completely ineffective at preventing or treating colds. “I feel that this is our responsibility,” he said at the beginning of his speech. video.
“The myth that something like vitamin C can shorten the time you catch a cold was started by a guy named Linus Pauling, who was a scientist in the 1970s,” he continued. “And since then, there has been no evidence to support his claims.”
Who is Linus Pauling?
Pauling was a chemist. Nobel Prize in Chemistry Even in the 1950s nobel peace prize He was honored in 1962 for his efforts to end the nuclear arms race. However, he achieved real historical fame by popularizing the myth. This Vox article provides an overviewvitamin C is thought to have the potential to cure many illnesses, including the common cold.
“And many of the papers and studies he published have since been shown to be ‘irreproducible,’ meaning they are impossible to reproduce. That is, he did something wrong. “I was there,” Wes says.
scholar article A 1997 review of Pauling’s work stated that there was some truth to his thesis. “While Pauling’s conclusion that vitamin C had a biological effect on colds was generally correct based on previously published study results, he was perhaps too optimistic about the magnitude of the effect,” the article said. states.
“There is some evidence that vitamin C can reduce the severity of symptoms,” Wes says. “It’s like when you have a really, really bad cold and you’re bedridden and your nose is stuffed up and you can barely breathe,” Wes continued. “It may help reduce the severity of symptoms, but it won’t do anything for as long as it lasts.”
So what do Emergen-C and Airborne do?
“Supplement companies like those that make Emergen-C and Airborne are just trying to make a quick buck off of you,” Wes says. “Because 99 percent of people don’t get a bad cold.”
“What’s the best way to cure or deal with a cold? Make yourself comfortable. Colds are bad, so try to be happy. Eat your favorite foods. Stay hydrated. Have a nice cup of tea. Go ahead and relax,” Wes advises. “Stay at home if you can. But if you have to go out, be sure to wear a mask. So you don’t just make yourself unhappy, but also others.”
In the caption he wrote: If it makes you feel better, do it. But they are not routed as a panacea. Curling up and getting comfortable in bed can be just as effective. ”
emergency advertise Our products provide “daily immune support” to our customers as “nutritional supplements.” Similarly airborne promise To “give your and your family’s immune system even more of what it wants” with a cocktail of vitamins C, D, A, E, zinc, selenium and manganese.
Viewers also give their opinions
The video received over 169,000 views. In the comments, users gave their opinion on the advice and some explained why they still use the product.
“Emergen-C is my favorite placebo,” one user wrote. “It feels like you’re doing something when you don’t have anything else to do before you get sick.”
A second user wrote: “People get so angry when I try to tell them this.”
A third user wrote: “Logically, I know what you’re saying is true, but for the past four years, my favorite way to start my day is with a tall glass of water and some Emergen-C. It was the beginning of a change of routine.”
In response, Wes wrote, “If it makes you feel better, go for it.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Wes via TikTok comment and direct message for comments. We also reached out to Schiff, the parent company of Emergen-C and Airborne, for comment via email.
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