This product contains the antioxidant ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and the mineral zinc. Vitamin C plus zinc is typically sold as an over-the-counter (OTC) product.
Warnings
It’s used as a dietary supplement to provide vitamins and minerals that your body doesn’t take in through foods alone. This supplement may be given to prevent or treat certain deficiencies caused by poor nutrition, different diseases, medications, or pregnancy. Some people also take it to reduce the severity of symptoms associated with the common cold or to promote overall wellness, though there is no evidence that the average American needs to take these supplements to maintain or improve health.
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roles in nutrition, immune defence and maintenance of health. In pooled analyses of both studies (n=94), vitamin C plus zinc was significantly more efficient than placebo at reducing rhinorrhoea over 5 days of treatment.
Protection Against Colds
Vitamin C may reduce the length and severity of a cold, but it doesn’t appear to prevent colds in most people, according to the National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health.
For these groups, taking 250 milligrams of vitamin C daily may reduce the chance of catching a cold by 50 percent, reports the NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements.
Eye Disease Protection
In one study reported by the Office of Dietary Supplements, high intakes of zinc and antioxidants, including vitamin C, reduced the risk of AMD in elderly people. In another study, taking zinc alone significantly reduced the risk of developing AMD in high-risk subjects, but not in other people.
Wound Healing
Vitamin C is needed for the body to form collagen, part of the skin’s connective tissue that plays a vital role in the healing of wounds, such as cuts. People with skin ulcers are often deficient in zinc, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. Additionally, insufficient vitamin C can lead to scurvy, a disease that causes connective tissue weakness and gum bleeding.