Cold season is here, and in an attempt to ward off the sickies, millions of people are reaching for their Airborne - those fizzy little tablets you throw in water and chug (pretending they don’t taste like crap) because it boosts your immune system (or so the package claims) and helps cure the common cold.
But does it? The package is quick to point out, in teeny tiny print that even the best eyes would require a magnifying glass to read, that “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
However, the package does boast, in big, bold print, something that really makes me scratch my head: Airborne is CREATED BY A SECOND-GRADE SCHOOL TEACHER! Huh? Generally, I prefer medical advice from doctors, pharmacists, scientists, or heck, even Dr. Google. But a 2nd grade teacher? I know there are some amazing teachers in our schools, but I’m not sure any of them is qualified to make a cure for the cold, especially if teams of researchers haven’t been able to do it yet.
So does Airborne work? According to the website:”Is there scientific evidence to support that Airborne really works?The law requires that we have competent and reliable scientific evidence to support the claims for our product. The science demonstrates that our product helps to boost your immune system, and have confirmed this fact through independent scientific experts.”
So yes, there is evidence, and no, we won’t tell you what it is. No where on the Airborne site could I find any link to this scientific evidence. David Cowen, venture capitalist and science blogger tried to get the evidence from Airborne and got this response:“Thank you for your inquiry. The 2003 trial was a small study conducted for what was then a small company. While it yielded very strong results, we feel that the methodology (protocol) employed is not consistent with our current product usage recommendations. Therefore, we no longer make it available to the public. Thank you for your interest in Airborne. Please let us know if you have additional questions. Have a great day and stay healthy!”
Even better, if you look at the supplement facts for Airborne, each tablet contains 5000 IU of Vitamin A. But Vitamin A is unsafe in doses higher than 10,000 IU a day . And Airborne is supposed to be taken every 3 hours, which would be 8 times a day. Sure, that fizzy feeling and nasty taste makes you think it’s working, but personally I’d rather save my $6.99 and not risk overdosing on Vitamin A. I’ve got a 3 year old - I don’t think a biohazard suit could keep me from getting colds during cold season.
-emschwar
Never taken it, probably never will.