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EvidenceBased
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EvidenceBased

What to take for cold prevention

Graded by the strength of the evidence — strongest first. Nothing here is sold to you.

Zincgrade B— zinc lozenges started early may modestly shorten cold duration
Vitamin Cstudied, no effect— no reduction in cold incidence in the general population
Vitamin Dstudied, no effect— Meta-analysis of 12 RCTs (41,552 participants) in older adults: vitamin D supplementation probably does NOT reduce the incidence of acute respiratory infections overall (RR 0.99, moderate certainty), with no significant subgroup effect by baseline vitamin D level, dose, or duration. A non-significant signal for benefit specifically in vitamin-D-deficient individuals was noted but not confirmed.