The start of school and work also means that colds start to circulate. But is there any way to protect yourself, apart from washing your hands and sneezing into the crook of your arm? The state's preparation for medical evaluation,
SBU, has just released a report in which they looked at whether vitamins, minerals and cold sprays can help. The answer is: Yes. Vitamin C can prevent and shorten a cold to some extent and a zinc supplement can shorten a respiratory infection by an average of two days. When it comes to the best-seller vitamin D, no effect was seen at all on colds. When it comes to vitamins B6 and B12, selenium, magnesium, multivitamins and cold sprays, the effect is unclear, the SBU states.