With the threat of colds and malnutrition, students may be stocking up on popular vitamin C supplements such as Airborne and Emergen-C. However, most supplements give student more C than they need.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning it is not stored overtime in the body and is needed daily, said Melissa Teeters, an Ohio University graduate student who also teaches in the nutrition department.
This vitamin is not able to reach toxicity
so it is excreted through the urine if the dosage is too high Teeters said.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Daily Recommended Intake for vitamin C for females is 75 milligrams and 90 milligrams for males. Popular supplements found at pharmacies promise 500 to 1,000 milligrams, and Emergen-C and Airborne contain as much as 1,000 milligrams in every pouch or tablet.
The FDA has said that Airborne has not been shown to be effective said Mary Astrom, the nutrition counselor for WellWorks. Students shouldn't take supplements containing a megadose of a certain vitamin.
When I start feeling a little sick
I take vitamin C. I think it prevents the sickness from getting worse
said Colleen Dungey, a junior studying communications.
Citrus has been a traditional cold remedy since Linus Pauling, a Nobel Prize winner, popularized the trend more than 30 years ago. However, nutritional experts do not agree.
Vitamin C has only been proven to reduce the duration of a cold virus
Teeters said. While taking supplements is not recommended
people should re-evaluate what they are eating.
Instead, student should try to keep their plate colorful with fruits and vegetables that are as fresh as possible, Astrom said.
A male student could drink half of a cup of orange juice instead of taking a vitamin supplement and receive 62 milligrams out of the recommended 90 milligrams of vitamin C for that day. Female students could eat a half of cup of strawberries and receive 43 milligrams of their 75 milligrams needed for the day.
Supplements can't be substituted for a well-rounded diet. There are no calories in supplements
so the essential carbohydrates
proteins and fats are missing
Teeters said.
If students want to supplement their diets, a multivitamin such as One A Day that gives dosage according to age would be a better alternative, Astrom said.
