Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold (2013)

Cochrane review doi:10.1002/14651858.CD000980.pub4      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc8078152/

by Harri Hemilä, Elizabeth Chalker 

A brief but relevant summary of the Cochrane review: PLoS Med 2005
Another short review on vitamin C and the Common Cold: Trend Immunol 2003
          See Discussion of the Cochrane review in Evidence-Based Child Health 2008     Other 


The 2013 version is available here:
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CC/CochraneColds_2013.pdf


In 2016 we updated the review, and the updated review is available here:
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CC/CochraneColds_2016.pdf



Cochrane Collaboration rejected the 2016 update for reasons that are not related to the scientific validity of the review.
Our responses to the comments of
Nuala Livingstone and Toby Lasserson (Cochrane Central Editorial Unit) are available here:
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CC/CEU_responses.pdf
There are 43 responses by us and 27 of the are related to reporting and do not challenge the validity of our review.
Some comments reveal that Nuala Livingstone and Toby Lasserson did not properly read our update, see eg pages 9, 14, 19-21.

We also received comments from Mark Jones from the Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) group, and our responses to his comments are here:
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CC/MarkJones_responses.pdf

Before those two comments, we had received two comments from Cochrane ARI group editors, and our responses to his comments are here:
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CC/ARI_July2016_responses.pdf
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CC/ARI_Oct2016_responses.pdf
In the July 2016 comments, we followed 18 of the 28 instructions and asked for clarifications for 9 comments, since the ARI comments were not always clear.
In the Oct 2016 there were 20 new comments and we followed 12 instructions and had a few questions for clarifications.

The rejection decision in February 2017 by Chris Del Mar did not point out any specific scientific reasons for the rejection:
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/CC/ChrisDelMar_2017_comments.pdf

None of the above comments pointed out any genuine scientific problems in our 2016 update; please, read the comments and responses yourself.




References available via internet:

Contents

  1. Included trials
  2. Excluded trials
  3. Other references
Harri Hemilä
Department of Public Health
University of Helsinki,  Helsinki, Finland
harri.hemila@helsinki.fi
  https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila
  Nov 8, 2022

Papers on vitamin C and the common cold:
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/vitc_colds.htm

The impact of Linus Pauling in the initiation of the series of
controlled trials in the 1970s: see a brief summary with links at:
 https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/pauling 

For the problems in flawed meta-analyses and reviews
on vitamin C and the common cold, see summaries at:
https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/hemila/flawed_vitC_colds.htm 


Included trials

Abbott 1968 ch  Abbott 1968 bm   Abbott 1968 PubMed

Anderson 1972 PMC  *    Correction 1: (1973);108:133    Correction 2: (1973);108:492
   Anderson 1972 ch
   Anderson 1975 AnnNY      Anderson 1975 AnnNY  Anderson 1975 AnnNY
   Beaton 1971 PMC
   Preshaw 1972 PMC
   Spero 1973 letter BMJ
   Pauling NB 18 99   Pauling NB 18 100   Pauling NB 18 101

Anderson 1974 PMC    Anderson 1974 ch
   Pauling NB 18 121    Pauling NB 18 122

Anderson 1975 PMC    Anderson 1975 ch

Asfora 1977 ch          Asfora 1977 bm

Audera 2001    Audera 2001 ch   Audera 2001 PubMed


Bancalari 1984 Translation   
   Bancalari 1984 PubMed   Bancalari 1984 in Spanish ch   Bancalari 1984 in Spanish bm
https://www.academia.edu/89820861
https://www.academia.edu/69787592

Briggs 1984 ch   Briggs 1984 bm       Briggs 1984 Reference List

Brown 1945       Brown 1945 bm
        Manwaring 1945 commentary


Carillo 2008 PubMed       Carillo 2008 Doi    

Carr 1981_Doi  Carr 1981    Carr 1981 PubMed     Carr 1981 ch    Carr 1981 bm     
   Carr 1981 MJA Doi   Carr 1981 MJA ch    Carr 1981 MJA bm    Carr 1981 MJA PubMed
   Carr 1981 Clin Chem    Carr 1981 Clin Chem PubMed
   Martin 1982

Carson 1975 Doi   Carson 1975 PubMed     Carson 1975 ch    Carson 1975 bm
   Carson 1974 BMJ letter PMC   Carson 1974 BMJ letter BMJ   Carson 1974 ch

Charleston 1972 Doi    Charleston 1972 PubMed    Charleston 1972 ch   Charleston 1972 bm
    Clegg 1974 ch   Clegg 1974 bm   Clegg 1974 PubMed
    See inclusion in the meta-analysis of UK trials in  Hemilä 1997a 

Clegg 1975 Doi   Clegg 1975 PubMed 
    Clegg 1975 Abstract pp 7A-8A doi  
    See inclusion in the meta-analysis of UK trials in  Hemilä 1997a 

Constantini 2011 Doi   Constantini 2011 PubMed   Constantini 2011
     Constantini 2009 Poster
https://www.academia.edu/17790460

Coulehan 1974 Doi   Coulehan 1974 ch   Coulehan 1974 bm     Coulehan 1974 PubMed
     Coulehan 1975 AnnNY    Coulehan 1975 PubMed

Coulehan 1976 Doi    Coulehan 1976 ch     Coulehan 1976 bm     Coulehan 1976 PubMed
    Coulehan 1977 Letter NEJM

Cowan 1942 Doi    Cowan 1942 ch   Cowan 1942 bm
    Pauling NB 31 96   Pauling NB 31  97    Pauling NB 31  98
    Pauling NB 31 99   Pauling NB 31 100   Pauling NB 31 101   Pauling NB 33 29

Cowan 1950 Doi   Cowan 1950 ch      Cowan 1950 bm    Cowan 1950 PubMed


Dahlberg 1944 Doi  Dahlberg 1944 ch   Dahlberg 1944 bm 
    Pauling NB 33 23    Pauling NB 33 24   Pauling NB 33 25   Pauling NB 33 26
    Pauling NB 33 27    Pauling NB 33 28   Pauling NB 33 29

Dick 1990 ch     Dick 1990 bm
    Mink 1988 ch     Mink 1988 bm
    Shult 1990 ch     Shult 1990 bm
    Jennings 1990 bm


Elliott 1973 ch   Elliott 1973 bm
   Pauling NB 18 91   Pauling NB 18 92   Pauling NB 18 95   Pauling NB 18 96

Elwood 1976 Doi   Elwood 1976 PMC  Elwood 1976 Jstor  Elwood 1976 ch    Elwood 1976 PubMed 
    See inclusion in the meta-analysis of UK trials in  Hemilä 1997a 

Elwood 1977 ch    Elwood 1977 bm    Elwood 1977 PubMed

Franz 1956 Doi    Franz 1956 ch    Franz 1956 bm   Franz 1956 PubMed

Himmelstein 1996  Sedentary participants are included  Himmelstein 1996
Himmelstein 1998  Sedentary participants are included  Himmelstein 1998 html copy    Himmelstein 1998 pdf copy
https://www.academia.edu/66783857

Johnston 2014 Doi   Johnston 2014 PubMed    Johnston 2014 PMC
     Johnston 2014 Abstract
     Osterday 2011 MSc thesis    Other

Karlowski 1975 Doi   Karlowski 1975 ch    Karlowski 1975 bm     Karlowski 1975 PubMed
        Additional data published in Lewis 1975 Doi    Lewis 1975 ch    Lewis 1975 PubMed
        See a re-analysis of the Karlowski trial by Hemilä 1996
        and analysis of dose dependency in  Hemilä 1999a   and Hemilä 2022
        See comments on the re-analysis by Chalmers (1996) and reply to Chalmers by Hemilä (1996)
        See further statistical comments of the Karlowski trial in  Hemilä 2006 Stat Med   Hemilä 2006 Stat Med
        As to the particular influence of the Karlowski RCT, see Hemilä 2022


Liljefors 1972 Translation     Liljefors 1972 PubMed 
     Liljefors 1972 ch Swedish    Liljefors 1972 bm Swedish 

Ludvigsson 1977 Doi  Ludvigsson 1977 ch   Ludvigsson 1977 bm    Ludvigsson 1977 PubMed
https://www.academia.edu/69567236

Miller 1977 Doi    Miller 1977 ch  Miller 1977 bm   Miller 1977 PubMed 
       Discussion1   Discussion2
      Miller 1978 ch    Miller 1978 bm   Miller 1978 PubMed

Moolla 1996     Moolla 1996 University of Cape Town   Moolla 1996


Peters 1993 Doi       Peters 1993 PubMed
   Peters 1994 Letter AJCN     Peters 1994 Letter


Peters 1996 Journal's version, see page 23
https://journals.assaf.org.za/index.php/sajsm/article/view/914
Peters 1996 ch        Peters 1996 bm


Pitt 1979 Doi   Pitt 1979 ch    Pitt 1979 bm   Pitt 1979 PubMed 
https://www.academia.edu/78271637
    See inclusion in the meta-analysis of pneumonia trials in Hemilä 2013 

Regnier 1968 ch    Regnier 1968 bm   Regnier 1968 PubMed

Ritzel 1961 Translation    Ritzel  1961 PubMed
  Ritzel 1961 in German ch    Ritzel 1961 in German bm
  Ritzel 1976 letter Doi       Ritzel 1976 Letter ch    Ritzel 1976  PubMed 
  Ritzel biography  
  Pauling NB 33 30        Pauling NB 33 33    


Sasazuki 2006 Doi   Sasazuki 2006 PubMed

Sabiston 1974_Doi   Sabiston 1974 ch    Sabiston 1974 bm   ( Sabiston 1974 DRDSSabiston 1974 Abstract  

Scheunert 1949 ch   Scheunert 1949 bm

Schwartz 1973 Doi   Schwartz 1973 ch     Schwartz 1973 bm   Schwartz 1973 PubMed


Tebrock 1956 Doi     Tebrock 1956 ch   Tebrock 1956 bm  Tebrock 1956 PubMed

Tyrrell 1977 Doi     Tyrrell 1977 PMC  Tyrrell 1977 Jstor  Tyrrell 1977 ch   Tyrrell 1977 PubMed  
    See meta-analysis of UK trials in Hemilä 1997a and sex-vitamin C interaction in Hemila 2008

Van Straten 2002 Doi   Van Straten 2002 PubMed

Walker 1967 Doi  Walker 1967 PubMed  Walker 1967 PMC   Walker 1967 ch


Wilson 1969 ch  Wilson 1969 bm (Abstract)
Wilson 1973 Eur J Clin Pharmacol 6;(3):196-202  Wilson 1973 PubMed
Wilson 1973 Eur J Clin Pharmacol 6;(1):26-32      Wilson 1973 PubMed
Wilson 1973 Lancet 301:638-41 (Duplicate publication)     Wilson 1973 Pubmed
Summary of the trial in  Wilson 1975 Ann NY Acad Sci  Wilson 1975 Ann NY Acad Sci      Wilson 1975 Ann NY Acad Sci
Comments in:  Kinlen L, Peto R (1973) Lancet 301:944 ** reply in  (1973);301:1058-9 
  



Excluded trials

Baird 1979 DOI   Baird 1979 PubMed
    See meta-analysis of UK trials in Hemilä 1997a  and sex-vitamin C interaction in Hemila 2008

Barnes 1961 ch     Barnes 1961 bm    Barnes 1961 PubMed

Bartley 1953 ch    Bartley 1953 bm

Bendel 1955 Translation    Bendel 1955 PubMed

Bessel-Lorck 1959 Translation
   Bessel-Lorck 1959 in German ch     Bessel-Lorck 1959 in German bm

Boines 1956 ch  Boines 1956 bm   Boines 1956 PubMed

Chavance 1993 ch   Chavance 1993 PubMed

Dyllick 1967 Translation  

Fogelholm 1998 Abstract, see p 16A

Glazebrook 1942_PMC    Glazebrook 1942 ch (128 KB)    Glazebrook 1942 tables
    Comment in BMJ 1942 June by the authors
    Comment in BMJ 1942 commentary
    Comment in BMJ 1942 Nov by the authors
    Comment in BMJ 1944 Nov by the authors  
    Description of the study backgound via an earlier paper in J Hyg (1941)
    Pauling's analyses  Pauling NB 31 103    Pauling NB 33 34    Pauling NB 33 35 
    See inclusion in the meta-analysis of UK trials in  Hemilä 1997a 
    See inclusion in the meta-analysis of pneumonia trials in Hemilä 2013 

Gormly 1977 Doi   Gormly 1977 PubMed

Gorton 1999 Doi   Gorton 1999 PubMed

Himmelstein 1996  Marathon runners are excluded  Himmelstein 1996
Himmelstein 1998  Marathon runners are excluded  Himmelstein 1998 html copy    Himmelstein 1998 pdf copy

Hunt_1994    Hunt 1994 ch     Hunt 1994 bm     Hunt 1994 PubMed
    See inclusion in the meta-analysis of pneumonia trials in Hemilä 2013 

Jain 2002 Doi

Kimbarowski 1967 translation  
    Kimbarowski 1967 German ch    Kimbarowski 1967 German bm    Kimbarowski 1967 PubMed
    See inclusion in the meta-analysis of pneumonia trials in Hemilä 2013 

Koytchev 2003 PubMed

Maggini 2012 Doi    Maggini 2012 pdf    Maggini 2012 PubMed

Masek 1974 PubMed

Niemi 1951 Abstract in English   Niemi 1951

Pico Sirvent 2013 Poster.pdf

Renker 1954 Translation   Renker 1954 PubMed

Schmidt 2011 PubMed








Other Citations in Cochrane Review draft 2016

Akaike 2001 Doi
Anderson 1977   Anderson 1977 PubMed  
Other reviews by Anderson
   Anderson 1975 AnnNY      Anderson 1975 AnnNY  Anderson 1975 AnnNY
    Anderson 1975 CanFamPhys PMC
    Anderson 1977 Nutr Today     Anderson 1977 Nutr Today
    Anderson 1979 Am Pharm     Anderson 1979 Am Pharm

Anderson 2008 DOI

Balk 2002 Doi
Bee 1980 ch   Bee 1980 bm    Bee 1980 PubMed 
Briggs 1984 Ref List

Campbell 1975 Doi     Campbell 1975 ch     Campbell 1975 PubMed

Carpenter 1986 Cambridge      Carpenter 1986 Amazon   Carpenter 1986 BookReview    Carpenter 1986 BookReview

Castro 2006 Doi
Cathcart 1981 Doi    Cathcart 1981 PubMed   paper available via links
Chalmers 1975 Doi    Chalmers 1975 PubMed   Chalmers 1975 ch  Chalmers 1975 bm
   See problems of the Chalmers: 
   In: Do vitamins C and E affect respiratory infections? Thesis 2006 pp. 36-38
    https://hdl.handle.net/10138/20335
    https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6395595

Clausen 1934 Doi    Clausen 1934 
Cook 2007 Doi   Cook 2007 PMC   Cook 2007 PubMed
Corbett 2013 Doi

Davies 1979 Doi     Davies 1979 PubMed  

Dykes 1975 Doi     Dykes 1975 PubMed   Dykes 1975 ch
   See problems of the Dykes-Meier review: 
   In: Do vitamins C and E affect respiratory infections? Thesis 2006 pp. 42-45
    https://hdl.handle.net/10138/20335
    https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6395595

Eccles 2005 Doi
Eccles 2009 Doi
Eccles 2013    Eccles 2013 DOI
Fendrick 2003    Fendrick 2003 DOI

Gonzales 1997 Doi
Gotzsche 1989 Doi   Gotzsche 1989 ch   Gotzsche 1989 bm
   Gotzsche refers to: Braenden 1973 ch   Braenden 1973 bm
Heikkinen 2003 Doi

Hemilä 1992 Doi   Hemilä 1992         Hemilä 1992     Hemilä 1992 PubMed
Hemilä 1994 Doi    Hemilä 1994        Hemilä 1994      Hemilä 1994 PubMed 
Hemilä 1995 Doi   Hemilä 1995 Doi   Hemilä 1995 PubMed
Hemilä 1996 Doi  Hemilä 1996a      Hemilä 1996a    Hemilä 1996a PubMed
   Discussion:  Chalmers 1996     Hemilä 1996d    Hemilä 1996d    Hemilä 1996d 

Hemilä 1996a Doi   Hemilä 1996a     Hemilä 1996a   Hemilä 1996b PubMed
Hemilä 1996b Doi    Hemila 1996b    Hemilä 1996b  Hemilä 1996c PubMed

Hemilä 1997   Hemilä 1997        Hemilä 1997   Hemilä 1997 PubMed
Hemilä 1997a Doi    Hemilä 1997a    Hemilä 1997a    Hemilä 1997 PubMed  
     Discussion:  1997a comments  1997a comments

Hemilä 1997b  

Hemilä 1999 Doi      Hemilä 1999   Hemilä 1999   Hemilä 1999 PubMed
Hemilä 1999a IJTLD    Hemilä 1999a       Hemilä 1999a PubMed  
Hemilä 2004 Doi      Hemilä 2004       Hemilä 2004 PubMed

Hemilä 2006 Thesis     Hemilä 2006 Thesis  
  
Hemilä 2006a Doi           Hemilä 2006a PubMed
Hemilä 2006b Doi    Hemilä 2006c manuscript    Hemilä  2006b 
Hemilä 2007 ( -- > 2013 update) Doi     Hemilä 2007 (>2013) as html
    References to the Cochrane review vitamin C and pneumonia
    See a short summary and discussion in: Hemilä 2008

Hemilä 2008 Doi   Hemila 2008   Hemilä 2008
Hemilä 2009 Doi    Hemilä 2009 PubMed
Hemilä 2011 Doi   Hemilä 2011 PMC    Hemilä 2011 PubMed
Hemilä 2011a Doi   Hemilä 2011a PMC    Hemilä 2011a PubMed
Hemilä 2013 Doi   Hemilä 2013 PMC    Hemilä 2013 PubMed
Hemilä 2013a Doi   Hemilä 2013a PMC    Hemilä 2013a PubMed
Hemilä 2014 Doi   Hemilä 2014 PMC    Hemilä 2014 PubMed
Hemilä 2015 Doi   Hemilä 2015 PMC    Hemilä 2015 PubMed

Higgins 2003 Doi

Hrobjartsson 2010 Doi
Hume 1973 PubMed  Hume 1973 Doi
IOM 2000 p. 95
Ji 1999

Kleijnen 1989 in Dutch   Kleijnen 1989 in Dutch     Kleijnen 1989 in Dutch     Kleijnen 1989 in English
Kleijnen 1989 Ref List
   See problems of the Kleijnen review: 
   In: Do vitamins C and E affect respiratory infections? Thesis 2006 pp. 38-40
    https://hdl.handle.net/10138/20335
    https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6395595

Kleijnen 1992 Doi    Kleijnen 1992 PubMed
Korbsch 1938 Translation

Levine 1996 Doi    Levine 1996 PMC   
Levine 1999 Doi         Levine 1999 PubMed
Louhiala 2014 Doi      Louhiala 2014 handle
Lydersen 2009 Doi     Lydersen 2009 PubMed

Markwell 1947 Doi  Markwell 1947_PubMed    Markwell 1947     Markwell 1947
Mosdol 2008 Doi      Mosdol 2008 PubMed

Nualart 2003 Doi      Nualart 2003 PubMed
Padayatty 2004 Doi 

Pauling 1970a book "Vitamin C and the common cold"
   Wiki
   Links to book reviews of the 1970 book
   A short background to the book  
   In: Do vitamins C and E affect respiratory infections? Thesis 2006 pp. 11-13, 28, 35-36
    https://hdl.handle.net/10138/20335
    https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6395595

Pauling 1970b Doi     Pauling 1970b PMC
Pauling 1971a Doi      Pauling 1971a PMC     Pauling 1971a manuscript 
    Pauling NB 31 103
    Pauling NB 33 32
Pauling 1971b AJCN
Pauling 1976a book "Vitamin C, the common cold, and the flu"
    Links to book reviews of the 1976 book
    A short background to the book  
    Pauling NB 31 269
Pauling 1976b
Pauling 1976c

Perla 1937 Part I     Perla 1937 Part I

Robertsson 1934 Doi    Robertsson 1934 ch    Robertsson 1934 bm
Shamseer 2008 Doi   Hemilä Reply
Thomas 1978 PMC

Wang 1997 Doi
Webb 2007 Doi

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