MORE than 30 years ago, Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling launched the theory that high doses of vitamin C could prevent or lessen the severity of colds and other illnesses.
Pauling was a convincing vitamin C advocate until his death in 1994, but today, researchers still don’t agree on whether the vitamin, found in many fruits and vegetables, helps curb colds. However, it is considered an important antioxidant, and the supplement form could help prevent a number of conditions.