Does Orange Juice Help With a Cold? What Experts Really Think of the Home Remedy
Does orange juice actually help if you have a cold?
Many people grew up with their moms handing them a glass of orange juice when they didn’t feel well. What might have been your family tradition probably ties back to assumptions about vitamin C.
“The theory leads us to believe if we drink and consume a lot of vitamin C, the duration of our cold will shorten,” said Amy Shapiro, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and the founder of Real Nutrition NYC.
Shapiro explained that, yes, vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant for the immune system. She noted that orange juice also contains potassium and vitamin A, which can also be helpful for boosting immunity.
“We experience inflammatory responses in our body when we have a common cold because the immune system is typically attacked by a virus,” Silvia Robalino, MD, a board-certified internal medicine doctor at HCA Florida Mercy Hospital, told Health. “Vitamin C has a role in sustaining the integrity of the immune system and supporting the function of many immune cells.”
While the nutrients found in orange juice theoretically sound like guzzling OJ would be helpful any time you feel a cold coming on, Shapiro points out that there is very little research that has specifically looked at the benefits of orange juice for a cold.
According to Shapiro, “Research shows that taking a [vitamin C] supplement regularly can help to ward off cold symptoms, but taking it after you have a cold already does not shorten the duration.”
Here’s how to get more immune-boosting benefits of vitamin C, as well as other vitamins that can contribute to immunity and help fend off the common cold.
Sources of Vitamin C to Boost Your Immune System
While citrus fruits, and orange juice in particular, have earned the reputation of being the best source of vitamin C, Shapiro notes there are actually richer food sources of vitamin C.
Shapiro and Robalino suggest the following for a boost of vitamin C:
- Kakadu plums
- Acerola cherries
- Chili peppers
- Guava
- Bell peppers
- Kiwi fruit
- Lemon
- Grapefruit
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes
Oranges are, still, a source of vitamin C as well. However, Shapiro recommends eating whole oranges instead of drinking orange juice.
Not only do whole oranges provide nutritious fiber, but they don’t have the same added sugars that many juices do, which can be a negative thing for a body that is fighting an illness, Robalino explained.
