Can vitamin C cure a cold? How a Nobel Prize winner convinced us it could

In 1970, Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling popularized the idea that large doses of vitamin C can cure the common cold. Pauling's assertions convinced the public and drove widespread adoption of vitamin C supplementation for illness prevention.

However, multiple scientific studies conducted since Pauling's initial analysis have evaluated these claims. Current research demonstrates that if large doses of vitamin C have any effect on colds at all, the impact is minimal.