Vitamin C and Acute Illness in Navajo Schoolchildren

摘要: To evaluate earlier observations, including our own, showing usefulness of vitamin C for managing the common cold, we performed a double-blind trial versus placebo in 868 children. There was no difference number becoming ill (133 129), episodes (166 159) or mean illness duration (5.5 5.8 days) between groups. Children receiving had fewer throat cultures yielding beta-hemolytic streptococcus (six 13, P less than 0.10), but overall complicated rate (24 25). Plasma ascorbic acid levels were higher group 24 to 26 hours after supplementation (1.28 1.04 mg per 100 ml, 0.01). with high plasma concentrations longer (6.8 4.0 days, 0.05) those low levels. Vitamin does not seem be an effective prophylactic therapeutic agent upper respiratory illness.