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Diseases Science Fair Project

Vitamin C and Cold Prevention

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Vitamin C and Cold Prevention | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does taking vitamin C every day reduce cold symptoms? Eight people track their symptoms over two months in this crossover experiment. Each person spends one month taking 500 mg of vitamin C daily and one month taking none. A one-week break between months lets the vitamin leave the body. Everyone records symptoms like coughing, sneezing, and sore throat on a calendar each day. Then you compare the totals. The group taking vitamin C logged fewer severe symptoms. Minor symptoms stayed about the same either way.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that vitamin C will prevent people from getting colds.

Method & Materials

You will have four people take one 500 mg vitamin C per day for one month and four people not take any vitamin C for one month. Everyone will record any cold symptoms they experience on a calendar.
You will need 500 mg vitamin C, eight people, and calendars.

Results

The results showed that there were more severe cold symptoms without vitamin C than there were with vitamin C. There was no significant difference between the minor cold symptoms. This experiment could be improved by testing more people over a longer period of time and controlling for other health problems.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it tests whether a simple supplement can help people stay healthy.

Also Consider

Variations of this experiment could include testing different doses of vitamin C or testing different supplements to see if they prevent colds.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.
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