By USDA numbers, one medium red bell pepper carries roughly twice the vitamin C of a medium orange. But does extra vitamin C actually protect you from colds and infections?
The research is more surprising than the slogans.
In this video we break down the real #BellPepper versus orange numbers, how much vitamin C your body can actually use, and what a large Cochrane review found about colds, including the one group where colds were roughly halved and why it does not apply to most older adults. We also look at trials in older adults and care homes, other nutrients in red pepper, and supplement safety, from kidney stones to medicines like warfarin.
Peppers are a great whole food source of vitamin C, not a shield against illness. This video is general education, not medical advice: ask your doctor before using vitamin C supplements, especially if you take warfarin, chemotherapy or kidney medicines. For more honest nutrition science, subscribe and tell us how you handle the first sign of a cold. #VitaminC #ImmuneHealth #NutritionScience
CHAPTERS
0:00 Overview
0:55 The numbers
2:34 What your body needs
3:58 The cold myth
5:36 Older adults and infections
6:49 Other nutrients and safety
8:24 The bottom line
SOURCES
• Hemila and Chalker, Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013 (common cold)
• Hemila and Louhiala, Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013 (pneumonia)
• Levine et al., PNAS 1996
• Carr and Vissers, Nutrients 2013
• Hunt et al., Int J Vitam Nutr Res 1994
• Girodon et al., Arch Intern Med 1999
• Schleicher et al., Am J Clin Nutr 2009
• Thomas et al., JAMA Intern Med 2013
• Hwang et al., Prev Nutr Food Sci 2012
• USDA FoodData Central
DISCLAIMER
This video is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before changing what you eat or take, especially if you take regular medication or have a medical condition.
#bellpepper #vitaminc #immunesystem #coldsandflu #nutritionscience #after60