EFFECTS OF ASCORBIC-ACID AND FLAVONOIDS ON THE OCCURRENCE OF SYMPTOMS NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMMON COLD

A controlled study was made of the effects of natural orange juice, synthetic orange juice, and placebo in the prevention of the common cold; both natural and synthetic orange juices contained 80 mg of ascorbic acid daily. 362 healthy normal young adult volunteers. ages 17 to 25 yr, were studied for 72 days with 97% of participants completing the trial. There was a 14 to 21% reduction in total symptoms due to the common cold in the supplemented groups that was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Ascorbic acid supplementation also increased the number of 'episode-free' subjects. However, the clinical usefulness of the results does not support prophylactic ascorbic acid supplements in the well-noursihed adult. The results in this study with both natural and synthetic orange juice of physiological content of ascorbic acid, are similar to those obtained using a 'megadose' of ascorbic acid.