Special edition: Immune support
Vitamin C
Think immune supplement, think vitamin C – especially for the common cold. According to SPINs, sales of vitamin C supplements – the biggest single category in the vitamins and minerals market - were up 2.8% to $221.27m in the year to October 1, 2011 across conventional and natural channels combined.
Amongst the biggest brands in vitamin C for immune health are Airborne (Schiff), Emergen-C (Pfizer), Ester-C (NBTY), and Fast-C (Scientific Food Solutions (SFS)).
There have been some questions raised about the efficacy of the vitamin to reduce the incidence of the common cold, with a review of 30 studies published in The Cochrane Library concluding that daily doses of at least 200 milligrams did little to reduce the length or severity of a cold.
A recent analysis by Prof Balz Frei from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University called for an increased in the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin C to 200 milligrams per day for adults, an increase of over 100% from current levels in the United States.