9 Dos and Don’t-Bothers To Prevent Getting a Cold

9 DOS AND DON’T-BOTHERS TO PREVENT GETTING A COLD FROM THAT SNEEZING PERSON IN THE OFFICE

The person who comes to work coughing and spluttering is a dick. But there are things you can do to stop them from giving you the two-to-three colds you’re likely to get each year. Here are some tips based on research - and not old wives’ tails/ropey adverts.

DO
likely/may be beneficial

- Zinc supplements: some evidence they can lower the duration of a cold by a day or two, though the lozenges might taste grim/make you feel nauseous. Don’t use nasal sprays!

- Garlic: the rawer the better I’m afraid. Limited yet interesting evidence in one trial that garlic might lower the risk of getting a cold and how long it lasts for

- Probiotics: a decent probiotic may help in preventing upper respiratory tract infections - and the need to end up on antibiotics 

- Sleep: getting more than seven hours a night seems to make you more resistant to getting cold

- Don’t rub your nose/eyes and wash your hands: perhaps the biggest way to avoid getting ill and keep other people’s snotty viral particles at bay

Dunno 
benefits unclear

- Ginseng

- Echinacea 

- Exercise

Don’t bother 
no benefits

- Vitamin C: yes, Vitamin C. No proven benefits. Unless you happen to be under physical stress - which one study cites as "marathon runners or soldiers in subarctic environments”.

And then there are over-the-counter products - to talk to a pharmacist about - which can really make a difference.

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Sources: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/186/3/190, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/preventing-and-treating-colds-the-evidence-and-the-anecdotes-2017011210972, https://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-garlic-for-fighting-cancer-and-the-common-cold/, https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/common-cold-viral-rhinitis-a-to-z