Immune
Every trial defines a cold differently, and few confirm that a virus was there.
Not yet investigated
Every trial defines a cold differently, and few confirm that a virus was there.
This star is on the map because the show intends to take the question apart properly — the trials, how it is actually tested, whether the thing sold is the thing studied. That work is not done yet, and nothing here should be read as a conclusion. When the investigation is published it will appear on this page.
What we are reading
Gathered for the investigation and not yet written up. Each note says what the paper does and does not show.
The cleanest worked example of why trial DESIGN decides the answer. 29 comparisons, 11,306 people: regular supplementation did not cut cold incidence in the general population (RR 0.97) — but the same vitamin cut incidence by half (RR 0.48) in marathon runners, skiers and soldiers, shortened colds by 8% in adults and 14% in children, and did nothing at all when taken AFTER symptoms began. Prevention versus treatment, and general population versus extreme physical stress, are four different questions.
Connected on the map
The letter
The full citation list for each investigation, the studies that didn't make the episode, and any corrections — sent the morning it publishes.
No sponsors · No supplement affiliates · Unsubscribe any time
