What Happens to Your Cold Symptoms When You Take Vitamin C and Zinc Together

Zinc and vitamin C are essential nutrients that can each reduce the duration and severity of symptoms cold. Taking vitamin C and zinc together can help them work better and enhance their effects.

Vitamin C is often used to prevent and treat colds. Some evidence suggests it may reduce the risk of getting sick. Growing evidence suggests that it may help shorten the duration of a cold and lessen its severity, especially for people exposed to extremely cold temperatures.

Vitamin C can also enhance the effects of zinc. Zinc helps your body fight infections and can also help prevent colds if you take it regularly. Zinc may also shorten the length of a cold when you develop one. Some studies show that people who take zinc supplements recover more quickly from cold symptoms.

Vitamin C and zinc may be more effective in reducing cold symptoms or duration if you take them within 24 hours from the start of your symptoms.

Vitamin C and zinc are available as individual supplements:

• Vitamin C products: Vitamin C supplements come in powders, capsules, gummies, and liquids. There are also different types, including ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, and calcium ascorbate. Ascorbic acid is the most common type of vitamin C found in supplements.
• Zinc products: Zinc supplements are available in the form of liquids, mouthwashes, lozenges and capsules. There are also different types, including zinc sulfate, zinc oxide, zinc gluconate, and zinc citrate.

You can also purchase multivitamins or combination products that combine the nutrients with other vitamins and minerals.

You can usually take products containing vitamin C or zinc at any time of the day, with or without food.

Overall, it is safe to take vitamin C and zinc together. However, high doses of vitamin C and zinc share similar digestive side effects, including:

• Stomach cramps
• Nausea
• Vomiting

If you experience these side effects when taking them together, take them at different times or with food.

If you use vitamin C to aid iron absorption, taking zinc at the same time may interfere with your iron levels.

Vitamin C is important for many bodily functions. It supports the immune system, helps your body make collagen, and aids iron absorption. It’s an antioxidant, which means it helps protect your cells from damage that can lead to diseases like cancer or heart disease.

Vitamin C is found in many foods, including fruits and vegetables like oranges, grapefruit, peppers, kiwi and broccoli. Most people who eat a balanced diet get enough vitamin C from their diet.

Some of the potential health benefits of vitamin C include:

• Improves skin health: Vitamin C helps create collagen, which gives your skin, muscles, bones, and connective tissue structure. Its antioxidant properties also help protect your skin from UV-induced damage.
• Reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases: The antioxidants in vitamin C may help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease, although more research is needed to confirm these effects.
• Improves eye health: The antioxidant effects of vitamin C may help prevent diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.
• Helps with iron absorption: Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron from food, especially in people with low iron levels.

Zinc is an essential mineral that contributes to cell growth, metabolism and immune function. It also helps protect cells from damage, which may reduce the risk of diseases like cancer and heart disease.

Most people get enough zinc from their diet, but supplements can be helpful if you’re not meeting your daily needs.

Some of the potential health benefits of zinc supplements include:

• Improves skin health: Zinc can help reduce acne, control oil production, and decrease skin inflammation. It also promotes wound healing and helps repair cell membranes.
• Treats zinc deficiency: A lack of zinc can lead to skin problems, slow wound healing, and cognitive problems. People who are malnourished, on a restricted diet, have a history of excessive alcohol consumption, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have malabsorption problems are at greater risk of zinc deficiency.
• Prevents eye diseases: Zinc is necessary for eye health and helps prevent damage to the retina. Studies have shown that zinc supplementation can delay the onset of age-related macular degeneration and vision loss.